A working class win

LONDON Underground workers came together on Tuesday night to celebrate winning major concessions from "aggressive anti-union bosses" and to plan the next steps in their fightback campaign.

RMT union activists and stewards representing workers in almost every job on the capital's metro system - from maintenance engineers to platform cleaners, to the staff who paste up advertising posters - debated how to bring their different battles together in defiance of the bosses.

RMT leader Bob Crow tore into fat cat managers who stuffed their bank accounts with £600,000 pay packets while forcing migrant cleaning workers to scratch a living on minimum wage.

"Tube Lines, the largest privateer contractor on the Underground, has grabbed £200 million in profits over the last three years, while its boss Terry Morgan took more in just one bonus payment on top of his pay than a cleaner earns in wages in an entire year," he stormed.

"Management want a tame union. All these attacks on us are not a miscalculation, they are a strategic attempt at divide and rule."

Mr Crow revealed that negotiations had resulted in a new offer from Tube Lines to pay cleaners £7.45 an hour instead of £5.52 - a massive 30 per cent increase. He paid tribute to the cleaners who have forced Tube Lines and Metronet to concede the London living wage.

RMT cleaners' activist Clara Osagiede said: "A year ago, no-one would ever have thought we would be in this position, forcing management to pay us more than just survival wages.

"People asked, is it possible to organise migrant workers in such precarious work? Is it possible to improve conditions for workers who are being paid less than what they were being paid 15 years ago? But we did it.

"Our union stands against social injustice. We have unionised and survived aggressive attacks from the bosses and even threats to have some of us deported," she added.

"They pressured us and made us doubt ourselves, but we are stronger than ever. We will have a living wage, all cleaners will have it and we will have won it for ourselves!"

RMT rep Unjum Mirza revealed that the willingness to fight meant that union membership has increased by 30 per cent.

Mr Crow later revealed that OCS cleaners on Eurostar had voted for the first ever walkout at the new St Pancras international terminal.

The workers are paid just £6.37 an hour and are demanding the living wage too.

"Fifty-nine ballots went out, 59 ballots came back, and 59 ballots were marked 'Yes' to a strike," he said.

The workers are set to strike on bank holiday Monday if bosses refuse to pay a living wage.

Mr Crow encouraged workers to raise their sights and forecast "a continued fight for pay equality across the Underground."

He said: "We should go after poverty pay at Kings Cross, at Paddington, Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street stations.

"When it comes to the credit crunch, the bosses don't mind paying other bosses. They pay their rising gas bills, their water, electricity and phone bills without complaining. But, when it comes to paying workers fair wages, they suddenly have a problem with that, so let there be no doubt - this is about class."