A night station supervisor at Dagenham East station was disgusted to find the sanitary bin in the toilets overflowing and its contents spilling accross the floor. He reported the fault, but was told it couldn't be dealt with until late the following morning.
It is clear that the 'specialist' contractors dealing with sanitary bins do not safeguard our health and safety or care about our dignity at work, of which proper toilet facilities are an essential part.
Tubeworker reported recently on the disgrace that sanitary bins at some stations only get emptied when they are full! This means that waste could be festering away for months at stations where there are few female staff. It also means that overflowing sanitary bins are in-built into the system, as you only notice a full sanitary bin when it is overflowing!
Union reps should keep up the pressure on contractors for their role in providing a safe, dignified working environment. Where women have fought the management successfully for sanitary dispensers in toilets, such as at Tottenham Court Road station, local union reps should keep up the pressure and make sure that women workers are not left without facilities again.
