Andrew Dismore

3026/2012 – London Living Wage for TFL Cleaners

Andrew Dismore

Why are cleaners employed by Carlisle, contracted by TfL’s franchisee Serco to provide cleaning services on Docklands Light Railway, not paid the London Living Wage?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  Thank you, Andrew, very much indeed.  You ask about why cleaners employed by Carlisle who are contracted by TfL’s franchisee Serco to provide cleaning services on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) are not paid the London Living Wage?  Because that franchise was awarded in 2005, during Ken Livingstone’s [former Mayor] last year of office, but was before the London Living Wage had been fully implemented in this place.  I would just remind you that at least 2,600 staff of TfL, contracted and also sub-contracted staff, have benefited from the London Living Wage and, under this administration, under this Mayoralty, it has been massively expanded so that I think about 250 private firms in London now pay the London Living Wage which is greatly in excess of what there were under the Labour administration.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  I assume you accept the DLR is part of the GLA group?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  I think I have not only accepted that; I have explained the historical reasons why the contract, which is a —

Andrew Dismore (AM):  So having accepted that when you put in your economic manifesto —

 

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  With Serco was not part of our London Living Wage strategy.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  So when you put in your economic manifesto for the last Mayoral elections, “I have ensured that the London Living Wage was paid across the GLA group” that was not true was it?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  I think you asked a previous question about London Underground where we tried to do everything —

Andrew Dismore (AM):  I am asking you about these workers here and I am putting to you what you put in your manifesto —

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  — we can to pay the London Living Wage.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  — was not true was it?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  The problem is, and remains, that my predecessor, Ken Livingstone, said one thing and did another.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  You have said one thing and not done it.

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  He put in a contract with this DLR franchisee who have a different relationship, as you know, from London Underground (LU) than we have.  They are not direct employees.  There is a different set of contracts —

Andrew Dismore (AM):  There is a simple answer to this.  Why don’t you go back to the company and renegotiate the contract to make sure the 1,500 people or so who work on the national minimum wage and in fact I understand from this morning’s discussions –

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  I think it is a very good idea.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  Why don’t you go back and get the contract renegotiated to get these people paid a decent amount of money?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  As I say it is a point you might well have made to Ken Livingstone when you were a Labour MP in London and you allowed this.  I do not know why it did not occur to you then, curiously enough.  Never mind.  It is certainly something that we will do when the contract comes up for renewal.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  When is that?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  Well it was awarded in 2005.  I will tell you when it comes.  I do not know exactly when it comes up for renewal.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  If it is a long one will you try to renegotiate it in the meantime?

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  All I can certainly say is that if and when the contract comes up for renewal we will make sure that we put all the people who work for TfL, directly or indirectly, on the same footing as LU staff.  What we are dealing with is a historic anomaly resulting from the gross inattention to detail of the last Labour administration.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  It is a historic anomaly that is costing a lot of people a lot of money living on very poor wages —

Boris Johnson (Mayor of London):  A point you might well have made to Ken Livingstone.  I do not know why you did not.

Andrew Dismore (AM):  You said in your manifesto you had dealt with it.