RMT press release, issued today

A 48-HOUR strike by more than 700 RMT members working for four cleaning subcontractors on London Underground scheduled to begin at 05:30 tomorrow morning has been suspended after a breakthrough in talks that will deliver the London living wage to all Tube cleaners.

After days of intensive talks at conciliation service ACAS, workers on Tubelines contracts will receive an initial 60p an hour increase from September 1, and will receive a further £1.30 hourly increase from April 1 2009.

Workers on Metronet contracts will receive the London living wage, currently £7.45 an hour, from the beginning of September.

“This is a massive breakthrough which will see all Tube cleaners paid the London living wage by next April at the latest.

“We would have liked to have seen £7.45 implemented immediately for all, but on Tubelines contracts we have secured an immediate minimum increase of 60p an hour with the rest following by next April.

“That is a massive improvement on the prospect presented by the mayor of having to wait for contracts to be re-negotiated, which would have left some of our members waiting until 2012

“Tubelines have today also assured us that they will take over the entire responsibility for funding the London living wage on their contracts from 2010, and in our view that should give an ideal opportunity for Tubelines to take its cleaning back in-house.

“As a result of this breakthrough the RMT executive has today agreed to suspend the 48-hour strike scheduled to begin tomorrow.

“There are other issues that remain to be dealt with, as well as internal funding issues arrangements between contractors and clients, but our cleaning members have made a principled stand for a living wage and have conducted themselves in a way that is a credit to the entire trade union movement.

“I am sure that people will recognise that this result has been achieved by taking united action, and that this is a fantastic result for workers we were told would never be organised,” Bob Crow said.

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Note to editors: Some 700 RMT cleaners working for cleaning subcontractors ISS, ITS, ICS and GBM have taken strike action twice in their campaign for a living wage: a 48-hour strike between July 1 and 3, and an earlier 24-hour stoppage on June 25 and 26.