View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Long reads
4 July 2008updated 13 Sep 2021 5:29pm

Feminism and the Tube

So, why is the tube cleaner’s plight a feminist issue? Well, for a start most tube cleaners are wome

By Alex Iossifidis

Most readers inside London will have heard of the tube cleaners strike. Some will have been inconvenienced and annoyed. A few will have picked up the rubbish on order of the intercom. Others, however, will have actively littered in solidarity with the cleaners. These others count Feminist Fightback among their ranks; a diverse group of feminists dedicated to women’s liberation and a democratic, classless society. They are a fairly new group, with a founding conference in 2006, and are news to a feminist scene which has lacked presence in the workplace in recent years. A tube worker and group member explained that “lots of activism hasn’t really been concerned with working class women’s issues” but now Feminist Fightback are “filling the gap”.

So, why is the tube cleaners’ plight a feminist issue? Well, for a start most tube cleaners are women and Feminist Fightback feel that cleaning has been “underpaid and devalued as a ‘women’s industry’”. At £5.50 an hour, tube cleaners are certainly underpaid and undervalued. The 700-800 RMT members have a list of demands that brings shame to Transport for London (TfL) and its cleaning sub-contractors. They want a living wage, sick pay, 28 days holiday, final salary pension, free travel and an end to third party sackings. As well as the expected level of unpleasantness involved in the work, tube cleaners claim to face grim conditions: on-the-spot sackings, having to clean faeces with their bare hands, using unsafe cleaning chemicals and cleaning eight stations at a time on their own. On top of this, many workers face intimidation over immigration status. Despite Transport for London’s insistence that the strike was “completely unnecessary” it is about much more than the simple pay dispute TfL claims to be fixing.

Feminist Fightback certainly see it that way. One tube worker in the group believes that this kind of industrial action “shows the way forward for other women”. Many women in underpaid “pink-collar” jobs are made to feel powerless by managers and given no practical help from mainstream feminist organisations. By organising in day-to-day struggles, in the workplace or community, women (and men for that matter) can make improvements and gain a sense of empowerment. This is a basic part of Feminist Fightback’s activities, that women’s liberation isn’t merely a statistic or piece of legislation, but an experience.

With solidarity from groups like Feminist Fightback, women battling poor pay and working conditions can get support where it has been denied by anti-union laws. To this end the group have been attending pickets and staging protests. On the first day of the strike a dozen members cleaned up the London underground offices whilst handing out leaflets to staff and the public. In the recent 48 hour strike, the group dumped rubbish outside the offices, chanting “Transport for London – clean up your act”. Clara Osagiede, RMT cleaner’s grade secretary, says the demos and picket support have been “very useful” and are much appreciated by the workers.

Although their activities are fairly small scale for the moment, these activists are optimistic, one member explaining that “this kind of action gives us a boost and a model to build on”. With the 80th anniversary of universal female suffrage this week, it seems an appropriate time for feminist groups and activists to be getting back to direct action.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU