Shocking survey reveals extent of poverty and pressure faced by Metro cleaners

A new RMT survey of Tyne and Wear Metro cleaners has laid bare the devastating impact of outsourcing, with the vast majority of staff reporting poverty pay, lack of sick pay, and rising workloads under private contractor Churchill.

The survey of Metro cleaners, employed by outsourcing firm Churchill, was conducted between 4–10 July 2025 and found:

• 70% sometimes or regularly struggle to make ends meet
• 67% can’t afford to take time off if they’re sick
• 85% have worked while sick
• 87% worry about not having enough to live on in retirement
• 90% say workloads are rising
• 90% say Churchill doe not employ enough staff to do the job properly
• 87% believe Metro services would improve if cleaning was brought back in-house

RMT is calling on the Mayor of the North East Combined Authority, Kim McGuinness, to immediately end the outsourcing of Metro cleaning services and commit to insourcing the contract when Churchill’s deal ends in August 2026.

Churchill, which holds cleaning contracts across the rail network, paid out a £43.9 million dividend last year—much of it to a private equity fund.

The company boasts 22% gross profit margins, achieved in part by passing public sector cost increases, such as wages and National Insurance, back to its clients like Nexus who run the Metro.

Yet cleaners are denied company sick pay, proper pensions, and have been offered no pay rise beyond the Living Wage.

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “These findings must be a wake-up call to employers and politicians.

“Metro cleaners are being exploited by a private contractor that prioritises making huge profits over the interests of our people who keep transport clean in the region.

We are in dispute with the company and are not ruling out calling for strike action if bosses do not start to treat cleaners properly.

This is part of our national campaign to end outsourcing and we are calling on the North East Mayor to insource these workers as soon as practically possible.”