RMT Demands withdrawal of patronising GWR hi vis cleaning vests

[whole diary]

[Adelante_CCT]

Apologies if posted elsewhere

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-demands-withdrawal-of-patronising-gwr-hi-vis-cleaning-vests/

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) Press Office:

RMT demands withdrawal of patronising and hypocritical Hi Vis cleaning vests issued to Great Western Railway cleaners

RAIL UNION RMT today demanded the withdrawal of Hi Vis vests issued to Great Western Railway cleaners employed by Servest emblazoned with the words "GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Cleaning Heroes" which the union says are both patronising and hypocritical as they imply that the staff are direct GWR employees and well looked after when in fact they are contracted ‎out and have to fight every inch on pay and conditions.


The letter to the company from General Secretary Mick Cash says;


?I write with regards to the above matter and to raise my grave concerns over your company?s decision to introduce High Visibility Vests with the words ?GWR Cleaning Heroes? written on the back, prior to any consultations taking place with my Union Representatives.


?The RMT believes this ?statement? is not only patronising and totally inappropriate but will also expose my members to abuse and ridicule. Therefore, I demand that the HV vests are withdrawn immediately and that your company consult with my Representatives before any replacements are sourced.


?The HV vests are personal protective equipment (PPE) and should protect staff against health and safety risks at work. Your company?s choice of wording on the back of these HV vests does not provide any safe assurances to the staff expected to wear them. Why anybody believed that this was an acceptable ?statement? to place on PPE is outrageous.


?I trust you will give this matter your urgent attention and that you will immediately withdraw the HV vests and consult with my Representatives in the hope of agreeing to a suitable alternative.?

[eightonedee]

Hmm...

My immediate reaction to this was to lose any sympathy I had for brother Cash and the miserable time he seems to have endured recently with his bullying colleagues at RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers).

However cynical you might be, surely trying to give some acknowledgment of the contribution made by a section of the railway staff whose role is often overlooked should be welcomed, especially as my own (limited) experience and comments by others in this forum indicates that they have done a good job keeping trains clean and presentable in the current trying times?

Does GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management need RMT permission to make a gesture like this? Shouldn't he be welcoming this instead?

[onthecushions]

I believe that the current rules over HV clothing require the contractor's name to be on the back, not an TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) advert.

The big unions share responsibility with management and capital for much of our industrial decline and therefore for the rise of the low skill, casual service and gig economy. However, I agree with them about protesting against worsening conditions of the already low paid. Their bad record in the motor, shipbuilding and mining industries et al., has robbed them of the moral high ground needed to make the case.

OTC

[stuving]

I believe that the current rules over HV clothing require the contractor's name to be on the back, not an TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) advert.

The big unions share responsibility with management and capital for much of our industrial decline and therefore for the rise of the low skill, casual service and gig economy. However, I agree with them about protesting against worsening conditions of the already low paid. Their bad record in the motor, shipbuilding and mining industries et al., has robbed them of the moral high ground needed to make the case.

OTC

Rules? Who would be issuing rules about that?

[TaplowGreen]

Beyond parody.

[Bmblbzzz]

It seems pretty reasonable for the relevant TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s name to be on the hi-viz. However, I do think there is a wider issue with calling people 'heroes' for doing their jobs. Several issues, really.

[Electric train]

I believe that the current rules over HV clothing require the contractor's name to be on the back, not an TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) advert.

That is only a requirement for Sentinel Card holders, that is staff with Personal Track Safety, not sure it applied to station staff.


I believe there is some underlying tension between the Unions and ToCs regarding the contracts used for cleaners by some of the cleaning service suppliers. 

These jobs by their nature are often minimum wage and often zero hour contracts, whilst I am no fan boy of a number of the actions of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) but it should be remembered they are there to look after the interests of their members and railway employees in general.

[Bob_Blakey]

My immediate reaction to this story was a hope that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and/or Servest would tell the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) to get stuffed.

I do not regard it as any part of a trade union's remit to attempt to dictate how a company is run when the issue in question has no impact on employee's terms & conditions.

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

I think the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) has a fair point. 

Why did Servest not consult its employees about the new HV vests? The idea that you do not consult your employees on new initiatives in the workplace, whether it be working practices, new equipment or what the wear, is a bit outdated.   Would it not have been better for Servest to take to its employees with it - the employees would have felt more valued if they'd been involved, and happy employees are more productive.

I too would object to being labelled a "hero" for just doing my job.  It seems everyone has to be labelled a "hero" nowadays.

[Marlburian]

... I too would object to being labelled a "hero" for just doing my job.  It seems everyone has to be labelled a "hero" nowadays.

My sentiments exactly. Hats off to cleaners for doing sometimes unpleasant work for low pay, but their efforts don't really compare with hospital staff, for example. The word "heroes" is badly overused and should be reserved for specific deeds of real courage, by service people, rescue personnel and the like.

[southwest]

The contractor is paid for by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), therefore the contractors indirectly work for GWR. The cleaning heroes bit might be a bit silly. But to be honest the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) need to get a grip. Complaining about High Vis vest of GWR, Demanding wage increases in Scotrail these people clearly have too much time on their hands.

[Electric train]

The contractor is paid for by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), therefore the contractors indirectly work for GWR. The cleaning heroes bit might be a bit silly. But to be honest the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) need to get a grip. Complaining about High Vis vest of GWR, Demanding wage increases in Scotrail these people clearly have too much time on their hands.

The RMT are doing their job and that is what their members pay them to do

[Bmblbzzz]

... I too would object to being labelled a "hero" for just doing my job.  It seems everyone has to be labelled a "hero" nowadays.

My sentiments exactly. Hats off to cleaners for doing sometimes unpleasant work for low pay, but their efforts don't really compare with hospital staff, for example. The word "heroes" is badly overused and should be reserved for specific deeds of real courage, by service people, rescue personnel and the like.

I agree with the bit I've bolded, but I'm not sure about the rest of the sentence. That is to say, if your job is rescuing people from mountains or sinking ships, then those are not acts of heroism as such. Or more exactly, it doesn't help to be called a hero; it helps if people recognise that you have a demanding, critical and dangerous job and make sure you get the appropriate equipment, pay and so on. The same with cleaning trains, nursing, teaching, policing... jobs that deserve suitable pay, conditions, PPE, and respect, not trite praise and mass claps.

In practice lifeboat crew and similar are often volunteers, which complicates the job-hero relationship, but that doesn't apply to the specific case of cleaners.

[TaplowGreen]

The contractor is paid for by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), therefore the contractors indirectly work for GWR. The cleaning heroes bit might be a bit silly. But to be honest the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) need to get a grip. Complaining about High Vis vest of GWR, Demanding wage increases in Scotrail these people clearly have too much time on their hands.

The RMT are doing their job and that is what their members pay them to do

I'd be genuinely interested in how many RMT members feel this is a priority and worthwhile use of their subs at the present time.

Inclined to agree with Southwest.

[southwest]

The contractor is paid for by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), therefore the contractors indirectly work for GWR. The cleaning heroes bit might be a bit silly. But to be honest the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) need to get a grip. Complaining about High Vis vest of GWR, Demanding wage increases in Scotrail these people clearly have too much time on their hands.

The RMT are doing their job and that is what their members pay them to do

Complaining about a silly high vis and trying to increase wages on Scotrail that once they emergency measures run out will lead to redundancies. Yeah they are doing a cracking job