Great Western Coffee Shop

CLEANERS on First Great Western trains have voted 100 per cent for strike action, and by a similar margin for action short of a strike, in a dispute over pay.
The RMT rail union says that with inflation running at over five per cent, Mitie has offered its cleaners a pay increase of just 1.25 per cent for last year and no more than one per cent from April this year.
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Train-cleaners-vote-strike/article-3598450-detail/article.html

Similar rises to the vast majority of us then?!!

Get a life, Bob Crow.

possibly greater than many who just get the min wage increase each october!

Indeed.....

A labourer is worthy of his hire.

But what makes them more worthy than the majority of other labourers?

And as I've often said - if the job is so bad, go find another one that is better!  Tis what I have to do - hence the reason I'm in ireland as of next wednesday

My comments above only apply if these guys are on railway-related wages. It may well be, as they are employed by Mitie, that they are on minimum wage - in which case, I can see their point.

Anyone know?

ISS cleaners were on not much more than minimum wage, so I doubt much has changed since Mitie took over the contract.

Perhaps this quote from the original story needs adding to this thread:


I'm not Bob's #1 fan by any stretch, but I can't disagree with him here.

Certainly, it ought to be nearer inflation.

I wonder how much Mitie might have to pay FGW if they don't fulfill the contract?

Bugger all plus 2.5% is still bugger all though.

they want to try being out of work for 2 months plus!

Well I know times are tought but I hope that they get a reasonable pay settlement.  If the money isn;t there to pay them (or most likely, Mittie are wisely holding some money back due to economic uncertainty), then Mittie could consider offering some alternative arrangement like a profit related bonus scheme or defered share options or tying increases into productivity gains.  I speak as someone who has been involved in setting the pay of our staff for the last two years.  It is true that we haven't been as generous as we had previosuly because of the economy (even when the firm is doing well the uncertainty means that a prudent manager wants to increase his "headroom"), but we have resisted taking the easy way out simply giving low increases.  If you keep your staff informed, get them involved and show a bit of imagination you can end up keeping them motivated, paying them decently and increasing your bottom line.  I firmly believe that is possible with any job however "lowly".  It isn't easy but that is what managers are paid to do.

I don't like the argument that just because others are on an even  worse deal or out of work the cleaners should settle for what is I am sure a pretty rubbish wage.   Remember, your wages are only low because other people's wages are low too.

Totally agree with Tim here.

thanks,  I'd add that regardless of the details of the pay offer, if you reach the point where your staff start holding strike ballots and getting Bob Crow to mouth off on their behalf then you have failed as a manager, done a disservice to your staff, and damaged your company because disgruntled staff will not be doing their job as well as gruntled ones.

Hmm - in the case of Bob Crow, he needs to convince his members that he's doing his job & is worth the inflated salary that their dues are paying him.....so he needs to keep popping his head up, regardless of whether it's actually necessary....

Well put. Hats off to you Tim: a manager who is also a thinking, feeling human being.

Mitie have some good contracts then, as they also do all the Tesco stores round here at least, although probably the whole country,
with such lucrative contracts you'd hope they pay greater wages, in order to attract the greater calibre of staff which will aid them in retaining contracts

Hope I'm of the calibre they're looking for. Application pending...... and you won't find me joining the RMT. But then that's because the position I've applied for is nowhere near the railways.

USDAW subs for me if I'm successful!