Sadiq Khan Slaps Free Travel Deal on Low-Paid Transport Workers
RMT Cheers Khan’s Bold Move
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has hailed Sadiq Khan’s latest move as a breath of fresh air. About 5,800 of London’s lowest-paid transport workers will now travel free across the TfL network. The union praised this as a “stark contrast” to the government’s tough new rules forcing unions to maintain minimum services during strikes.
Khan’s Free Travel Offer Puts Tories to Shame
While Khan steps up, the Tories have pushed legislation through the Commons that strips these workers of their right to strike. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch slammed the government, saying:
“Rather than attacking cleaners, the Conservatives should follow the Mayor’s lead and ensure that all TfL cleaners have free travel.”
Lynch also called on Khan to extend the free travel offer to all subcontracted workers.
Labour’s Promise to End Outsourcing
Labour’s election pledge includes a sweeping plan to reverse public-sector outsourcing. The union vowed to step up the campaign for Khan to bring London’s Underground cleaners in-house, tackling the “scourge of outsourcing” head-on:
“Now that London’s mayor is in office, we’ll ramp up our campaign for Sadiq to address the scourge of outsourcing in TfL, beginning with bringing London’s Underground cleaners in-house.”
