Circular: Night Tube dispute update

TO ALL LONDON UNDERGROUND TRAIN OPERATORS AND INSTRUCTOR OPERATORS

Dear Colleagues

ABOLITION OF NIGHT TUBE TRAIN OPERATOR GRADE – LONDON UNDERGROUND

I am writing further to my letter of 20th August where I notified members that the industrial action that had been planned this week has been suspended. The union’s decision was made possible by progress that had been made between your negotiating team and the company during the talks held at ACAS.

Your National Executive Committee has considered a report from your lead officer and their decision is as follows: -

“We note the report from our lead officer and the recommendation of our negotiating team that forthcoming strike action be suspended in order to continue discussions with London Underground around an opt-out proposal for night-tube duties and the potential to address weekend working with the use of further weekend part-time train operators.

We are grateful to our negotiators who have succeeded in convincing management to look at proposals that can potentially address the concerns of RMT train operators, who want to protect their work/life balance and avoid being forced to work additional night and weekend duties. We also congratulate our train operator members for returning the mandate for strike action, without which the progress made at ACAS would not have been possible.

Our reps, officer and the NEC are mindful that this progress represents a potential way forward but has not resolved matters between us and the employer. We remain in dispute and we will act under our industrial action mandate if agreement cannot be reached.

We note that progress will be reviewed at ACAS in eight weeks-time and the General secretary is instructed to impress on LUL the need for real progress to be made by that time.

Industrial action notified to LUL for next week in connection with this dispute is now suspended. All members are instructed to work normally on 24/25 Aug and 26/27 August.

The General secretary is to write to every LUL Train Operator member informing them of this decision. The Trains functional RMT reps, trains grades committee and branches are encouraged to produce regular info for members as discussions continue. It is essential that all Train Operator members understand the issues in dispute and are ready to support our fight against enforced additional weekend and night working.”

I will of course keep you updated with all further developments in this matter. 

 

Yours sincerely

Michael Lynch

General Secretary