Report on TfL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Trade Union Engagement Forum, 29 July 2020
Submitted by Janine on 29 July, 2020 - 19:02Terms of reference / forum functioning
News, reports and information for TfL staff
Terms of reference / forum functioning
Dear Colleague,
TfL’s Diversity and Inclusion team held an online meeting on 20 May. This was not a form Equality, Diversity and Inclusion forum, and included various participants as well as D&I management and trade unions.
It was announced today that Andy Byford will be appointed as thr new commissioner of TfL.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said:
“The new commissioner will arrive with TFL facing a financial crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that is being ruthlessly exploited by the Tory Government for political purposes.
Please download the attached newsletter.
RMT Regional Organiser John Leach has written to London Underground Managing Director Andy Lord to seek an 'absolute guarantee' that the jobs of members at TfL / LUL will not be affected by any emergency budget settlement reached with the government.
The letter
Subject: TfL Finances impact on Employees, Jobs and conditions of employment
Dear Andy
Dear RMT members (London Transport Region)
As you will see below in our press release, the RMT has concerns re next Monday 11th May being the start of government led mobilisation across Britain’s railways.
Accordingly I immediately wrote to LUL, the Managing Director, specifically in relation to all TfL. The MD confirmed explicitly that this is not the case for TfL and their services, that their planning date (which is not fixed 100%) is still the 18th of May.
Dear colleague
FURLOUGH ARRANGEMENTS – CORONAVIRUS – TRANSPORT FOR LONDON
Your union has been in discussions with Transport for London as the company plans to introduce Furlough Arrangements where certain members of staff in TfL/LUL will be put on to the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
The company has outlined that those currently being identified for the scheme would be staff whose work has ceased or reduced as a result of the current pandemic as well as those who are absent from work due to shielding or on long-term sickness absence.
Dear RMT members
Following on from my message yesterday, at the bottom of this message, I have attended both the LUL Company council and Tfl Company council this afternoon.
Both employers have told us that to assist with catastrophic loss of finances Tfl will make use of the Governments "Job Retention scheme" which provides up Financial support to employers hit by the Coronavirus crisis.
Dear RMT members
At 5pm today myself and NEC member Jared Wood attended a Tfl briefing by Directors on the impact of the Corona virus on revenue and finance in Tfl.
Tfl told us that they have been hit catastrophically by the loss of revenue and also are spending £600million every 4 weeks keeping Tfl operating.
Tfl have been in talks with the government on financial support and those negotiations are still in hand.
Emergency company councils have been called tomorrow.