PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
TYNE AND WEAR METRO CLEANERS AND THE LIVING WAGE (9 July 2013)

That this House welcomes the growing consensus for workers to be paid a living wage; notes, however, that cleaning members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) working for Churchill on the Tyne and Wear Metro have now been in dispute for a year in their campaign for a living wage and have scheduled a further two weeks' strike action commencing on 12 July 2013; pays tribute to the courage and determination of these low-paid workers to achieve justice; is dismayed that these workers are being denied a living wage despite Churchill doubling its profits in the last five years and the contracting company DB Schenker increasing its profits by 240 per cent; is appalled that, as DB Schenker is owned by German state railways, profits that could be used to pay the living wage and boost the North East economy are instead being used to support the German economy; believes that this cannot be in the interests of passengers and taxpayers; and therefore calls for an urgent summit to resolve this dispute involving the local transport authority, the RMT union, Churchill and DB Schenker.

Sponsored by:
Ian Mearns (Labour)