Transport for London

RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2013/15 – TFL (TFL/0001)

Further to my previous Circular (IR/243/15, 13^th October 2015), I can report that TfL has imposed a pay award without agreement from the trade unions. Meetings between the Company and the Union’s negotiating team are now being scheduled and I shall report back any further developments as they arise.

I refer to my previous Circular NP/076/14, 11th April 2014, the RMT has been informed that the suspension of transfers-in from external pension sources has now ended. This will mean that from 1st April 2016 members of the TfL Pension Fund who have deferred (frozen) pension benefits are now able to consider transferring them into the TfL Pension Fund to buy extra pension benefits.

While the decision to transfer rests entirely with the individual member this is good news that members will again have this option.

STAFF FAMILY TRAVEL FACILITIES – LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/12/2)

The following resolution has recently been received from our Central Line West Branch:-

“This Branch notes the appalling attacks that have been public made by Conservative Mayoral candidate Zak Goldsmith against tube workers. This includes a threat to withdraw the long held travel passes for staff family members. Whoever is Mayor, we will not accept any attack on our terms and conditions.

This Branch demands

Tonight, Tuesday 12th April, the Transport for London Bill has its third reading – a Bill which transport union RMT has slammed as a “multi-billion pound rip off tailored yet again to the tax-dodging, global super-rich.”

The Transport for London Bill was introduced into Parliament to help TfL maximise, at all costs, the profits that it makes from developing its property.

Dear Colleague,

TO ALL TFL PENSION FUND MEMBERS - BEWARE OF PENSION RIP OFFS

I have been contacted by our representatives across LUL/TfL who have raised with the RMT their concerns that financial service (insurance) companies are offering to “release” TfL Pension Fund members' pensions in return for a lump sum payment. I have been passed letters from a certain company who are offering a lump sum payment of 25% of the members' total TfL Pension Fund value with the remaining amount being reinvested.

The Transport for London Bill was introduced into Parliament to allow TfL to participate in novel company structures – including opaque, tax avoiding offshore structures that are well-known vehicles for laundering capital. Specifically, TfL intended to jump head first into the worst kind of corporate structures known as “Limited Partnerships” to maximise the profit it hoped to make from developing the land it owns above and around stations.

The following resolution has been received from the TfL No.1 Branch:

“TfL No. 1 Branch are concerned that as a result of TfL/LUL managements decision to award certain layers of staff with pay for performance pay increases, union members are seeing their future pension benefits eroded.

We request that the General Secretary carries out a proper investigation into this position as a matter of urgency so that future pay and conditions negotiations see pay increases linked to basic pay and not awards of one off lump sum payments.

The Transport for London Bill is before Parliament today - Monday 16 November. This bill is designed to help TfL fill the funding gap arising from impending cuts in the grant it receives from central government, by allowing it to use offshore companies to develop its property.