CWU Conference 2024 Royal Mail faces cleaner strikes amid fears for Real Living Wage commitments

CLEANERS have threatened to take industrial action if Royal Mail’s facilities management arm drops the Real Living Wage.

Communication Workers Union (CWU) members said they “will resist by all means possible” should Royal Mail Property and Facilities Solutions (RMPFS) abandon the voluntary commitment.

Delegates approved the approach at the union’s annual conference in Bournemouth today.

The motion, which was debated in private, said: “Conference notes with concern that a number of employers including Capita, have moved, or are intending to move away from paying the ‘Real Living Wage’.”

It continued saying the union has made “significant progress” using the voluntary agreement to pay at least £12 per hour to increase the pay for its lowest paid members.

Those include cleaners employed in RMPFS across its more than 2,600 sites, one of the largest corporate real estates in Europe.

“At the present time talks with RMPFS regarding pay are continuing, however, the CWU will resist by all means possible should the employer, RMPFS, indicate its intention to withdraw from paying the ‘Real Living Wage’ to cleaning grades.”

The CWU motion said its postal executive will update branches on pay talks with RMPFS.

International Distribution Services (IDS), which owns Royal Mail, has been contacted for comment.

Outsourcing giant Capita followed Brewdog to become the second high-profile business to drop the commitment aimed at ensuring the lowest-paid can afford the basic necessities of a decent life earlier this year.

Amid the cost-of-living crisis and high inflation, its outgoing CEO Jon Lewis said: “Unfortunately, the proposed 2024 Real Living Wage Foundation increase of 10.1 per cent is not affordable or one that we can realistically pass on to all our clients.”

Unions fear more companies may be preparing to follow and in January, CWU wrote to branches blasting the “disgraceful decision which will have a significant and detrimental impact upon many of our members working on the TV Licensing (BBC), VMO2 and Tesco Mobile contracts.

“Capita’s attempt to justify this callous decision by comparing its new minimum hourly pay rate with the UK National Living Wage is appalling.

“With pay negotiations for the TVL, VMO2 and Tesco Mobile contracts due to commence in the near future, this development will obviously have a material impact upon pay bargaining.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak has praised Labour pledges to introduce a “real living wage for workers as well as banning zero-hours contracts.”