RMT members fight for fair pay at Doppelmayr Cable Car
Alongside her Branch Chairperson and London Regional Organiser, as a RMT rep she carried forward long negotiations with her employer when the cost of living crisis hit to secure a decent pay rise and shorter working hours.
She said: “Every May, we start the claim for a pay increase.
“The claim usually goes beyond pay – including issues like having bank holidays paid at holiday rate, full travel facilities (TFL pass) and fewer hours than the 44 we were required to work at the beginning of the latest round of negotiation.
We put forward a claim every year, and it usually goes quite well, but with the rising cost of living we started facing a wall because the company – a subcontractor of TfL - didn’t want to give us an increase in line with inflation.
Here’s where our battle started, and where a long string of refusals initially hit us.”
Initial challenges
Ella explained that workers proposed a 5-year deal, placing 12 requests. Some were quickly accepted, like family-friendly policies and ability to attend training on equality in the workplace.
However, requests around pay rises and reduction of working hours were contentious.
She said: “We always went to the meetings with a plan, and approached the management team with kindness and constructive proposals.
“They kept saying no, so we went back and forth with the rest of the team.
“Eventually the company showed some openness and asked for our three priorities.
“That’s when we decided to focus our efforts on trying to secure a pay award in line with inflation, reduction of working hours, and being paid double when we had to work on a bank holiday.
“But the company said no to all our requests, especially to the reduction of hours, claiming it wasn’t feasible.”
Building momentum
Ella and her team decided to consult the rest of the employees, and together they decided to take action.
They started with a soft approach, initiating an overtime strike for three weeks. This led to retaliation from the company - they cancelled all holidays that staff had booked for the month of September, removed full company sick pay, and even statutory sick pay. They also suspended the provision of paid Uber rides for staff finishing a night shift, which was very tough on the staff left with no option to go back home after a night shift.
She said: “People were angry. We had another meeting and decided to go on strike.
“We planned six months of strikes every Saturday, every bank holiday, and four days during the half-term weekend in October 2024.
“We notified the employer and RMT General Secretary wrote a letter to Sadiq Khan to inform him about what was happening at a TfL subcontractor.”
The turning point
Ella described the pivotal moment of when they decided to strike. Workers formed a picket line, joined by RMT members from other workplaces. They spoke with the public, informing them of the conditions they were forced to work under, receiving widespread support from passers-by in the process.
“It was very embarrassing for the company because it was their busiest day. The managers kept the cable cars open and they operated it, but many customers left, showing a lot of solidarity.
“It only took one day of strike for management to eventually come around and meet our requests.
“We received a pay award in line with inflation, backdated to May 2023. Our working hours were reduced from 44 to 40.5 without a reduction in salary, and bank holidays are now paid double. Full sick pay, Uber rides for night workers, and annual leave were reinstated.”
Message of hope
The message Ella wants to share with other workers and union members, is a message of hope:
“It doesn’t matter how big (or how little) is your team.
“There are only 13 of us and at first we didn’t realise how much bargaining power we could have if standing united.
“Even in the worst moment, don’t give up.
“Seek support from your union and look for alternative ways to carry forward your action.
“You have strength in unity.”