Defending jobs, pensions and agreement: now is the time to act

DEFEND JOBS, PENSIONS AND AGREEMENTS - LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/14/2)

Further to my previous Circular (IR/017/22, 19th January 2022), extensive consultation has taken place and RMT Reps from all grades have fed back the strength of feeling amongst members over the planned attacks on jobs, pensions and working arrangements.

RMT will not sit back while TfL and the Department for Transport implement cuts that will abolish jobs, rip up our agreements and impose detrimental attacks to our members' pensions arrangements. We note that funding cuts are already being imposed and RMT will stand together and step up our demands for no job losses, pension losses or changes to agreements in any function.

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT, LUL is planning at least 600 job cuts and at least £100 million worth of savings from members' pensions. This is on top of further cuts to jobs and agreements and imposed flexibility savings across all grades and disciplines. We need to send the strongest message now to show that we are not prepared to accept these attacks and will fight to defend members' livelihoods and futures.

The National Executive Committee has therefore taken the decision to call on ALL LUL MEMBERS TO TAKE STRIKE ACTION and NOT TO BOOK ON for any shifts that commence between:-

  • 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Tuesday 1st March 2022.
  • 00:01 hours and 23:59 hours on Thursday 3rd March 2022.

The industrial action short of a strike which is already in place; not to familiarise staff who do not usually work at a location, not to train staff for roles outside of their normal substantive role and not to undertake training outside of your normal substantive role, also remains on, but will not be in effect on Tuesday 1st and Thursday 3rd March while members are on strike.

I urge all members to stand firm together and support this action to make our position clear prior to the announcement of the pension cuts strategy and further attacks. We should not be made to pay the cost of the pandemic, which is only exacerbated by years of financial mismanagement.

A mass meeting has also been arranged for all LUL members to discuss this dispute. The meeting will take place on Tuesday 15th February at the Indian YMCA, Mahatma Gandhi Hall, 41 Fitzroy Square, London W1T 6AQ at 15:00. I would be grateful if you could make every effort to attend.

I will of course keep Branches advised of all further developments.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Lynch
General Secretary