Workers Revolutionary Party - TRAVEL SAFE ACTION

The News Line: News Friday, 1 March 2013 TRAVEL SAFE ACTION

Travel Safe strikers lobbying Transport for London head office yesterday

‘TRANSPORT for London – do the right thing!’ shouted striking London Overground Travel Safe security workers lobbying TfL head office in Victoria yesterday.

‘What do we want – contracts! job security! dignity!’ the RMT strikers chanted.

Travel Safe RMT rep Adnan Hanif told News Line: ‘We’re here to protest because we want job contracts.

‘At the moment we don’t have anything – no contract, no job security, no sick or holiday pay. We have nothing in writing.

‘We’re working on a contract funded by Transport for London for the past four years.
‘We work for a subcontractor on London Overground.

‘We want TfL to take the contract back in-house because the way we are working at the moment is a kind of slavery.

‘We tried our best to settle our problems with the company through the union but the company is not taking this seriously.

‘They are victimising us by cutting hours and changing work patterns, and they’ve started bringing in people part-time, to pressurise us, who are not accredited to do the job.’

RMT assistant general secretary Steve Hedley said: ‘Today is a strike by Travel Safe workers on London Overground.

‘They are employed by STM Security contractors and are on zero-hours contracts; they don’t know whether they will work each day or not.

‘They have no holiday or sick pay and they don’t get free travel like every other rail worker.
‘We’re outside TfL because it is a publicly-owned company.

‘TfL should employ the Travel Safe officers directly instead of putting millions into the pockets of a bad employer like STM.

‘If we don’t get what we need there will be further strikes and protests.’

RMT member Mohammed Kashif said: ‘We want job protection and a proper contract.

‘We don’t even have basic necessities – no mess room, no toilet and no proper roster.

‘STM don’t treat us properly. We want dignity, a secure jobs and decent wages and conditions.’

RMT member Syed Abbas added: ‘We don’t have any proper contract with STM Security or London Overground.

‘We want our basic rights and job security.

‘TfL fund this project but we don’t have any travel facilities.

‘We want TfL to employ us directly as the other rail companies do their Travel Safe officers.

‘Our job is to secure the people who are travelling but we are not secure and our company treats us like go-boys – they treat us like rubbish.’