Draft Minutes: Regional Council meeting, 27 January 2011

ATTENDANCE

  • Bakerloo – Brian Munro, Eamonn Lynch, Steve Spurgin, Sean Geoghegan
  • Camden No.3 – Geoff Palmer
  • Central Line West – Vaughan Thomas (later part of meeting), Stefan Melnyk, Ross Marshall (meeting chair)
  • DLR – Darren Arnold
  • East Ham – Gary Lazell, James Wong-McSweeney
  • Finsbury Park – John Kelly, Glenroy Watson, Dave Rayfield, Dean O'Hanlon, Frank Curtis, Derek Bishop, Neil Cochrane
  • Hammersmith & City – Mac McKenna, John Colville
  • Jubilee South & East London Line –
  • London Taxis –
  • LU Engineering – Andy Littlechild, Jackie Darby
  • LU Fleet – Kieran Crowe
  • Morden & Oval – Arwyn Thomas
  • Neasden – Gash Carney
  • Piccadilly & District West – Neil Hodgson, Olly New
  • Retired Members – Carol Foster
  • Stratford No.1 – Adrian Finney, Terry O'Neill, Amanda Carney
  • TfL No.1 –
  • Thames Riverboats –
  • In attendance – Steve Hedley (Regional Organiser), Janine Booth (Council of Executives member / meeting secretary), Phil Boston (Organising Unit)

In the absence of the President and Vice President, Ross Marshall was elected to chair the meeting.

1. GUEST SPEAKER

Edwin from the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts addressed the meeting about the student movements' campaign against rises in tuition fees, cuts in education funding and scrapping of Education Maintenance Allowance.

The speaker was warmly received and several delegates asked questions.

2. APOLOGIES

Tony Gandolfi, Bob McMunn, John Reid, Becky Crocker, Unjum Mirza, Clare Reilly, Vaughan Thomas (for lateness), Linda Wiles, Bill O'Dowd, Jim McDaid, Mick Crossey, Peter Hartshorn

MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

Proposed: East Ham; seconded: Stratford no.1 - agreed as accurate

Matters arising: none

3. RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISING

Dave Rayfield reported on:

  • statistics on leavers and joiners for September, October, November, December
  • stations movements due to OSP, 6 February - functional reps to help provide information; head office to send letter to members

Phil Boston reported on:

  • recruitment activities in our region
  • willingness to visit workplace when invited

Issues raised in discussion:

  • train grades committee plans for recruitment and organising
  • need to visit stations to offset likelihood of membership loss due to OSP going ahead
  • each branch to have an organising plan
  • better to fight and lose a few members than not to fight
  • recruitment in Carlisle security / cleaning
  • need for spheres of influence meeting

4. COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES/REGIONAL ORGANISER'S REPORTS

Janine Booth circulated a folder of C of E / GGC decisions and a written report, and verbally reported on:

  • Executive subcommittees
  • forthcoming grades and equalities conferences
  • Black & Ethnic Minority Members Advisory Committee's anti-slavery event
  • cleaners - organising in Initial and Carlisle
  • Victoria Line drivers sensitive edge dispute
  • other disputes around the country
  • feeder rank system for taxis at Heathrow airport
  • asbestos on Central Line east end
  • LU job cuts – media coverage; GGC decisions; JB proposed strike before implementation, GGC voted against; continuing ‘action short’; reviews at ACAS; discrimination against part-time workers
  • campaigns against victimisation – Peter Hartshorn sacked; appeal tomorrow; ballot being prepared; Arwyn Thomas and Eamonn Lynch won Interim Relief; Eamonn's Directors Review rejected; 24-hour strikes on 14/15 January; JB proposed detailed campaign to GGC, agreed; public meeting 17/2; views sought from branches and LTRC for further action
  • Docklands Light Railway - industrial action ballot good majority; strike called 20-21 January; injuncted by High Court – RMT to appeal and reballot if appeal fails, JB opposed waiting until after appeal

Steve Hedley reported on:

  • LU job cuts - will be hard to get strike after review
  • Power Control Room / TACs – referenda recommending rejection of LU offer on grade progression
  • LU pay – claim drafted; final comments needed now; have written to other unions suggesting common approach
  • LU machinery - pointless meeting today; will pursue our outstanding disagreements with the draft
  • London Overground – offer accepted giving pay rise, hours cut and replacing agency staff with permanent posts
  • Arwyn Thomas Interim Relief

Points raised in discussion:

  • Carlisle
    • any chance of them folding on contracts rather than recognise RMT? (reply: not known; keep watching brief)
    • provide security services in TfL/LU as well as cleaning on DLR
  • asbestos - refuse to work on safety grounds? ballot for action short?
  • need to speed up branch-to-branch transfers and involve membership secretaries
  • anti-victimisation campaigns
    • right to mobilie members and combine campaigns
    • need vibrant, noisy, in-your-face campaign
    • further strikes after Piccadilly line ballot?
    • don't wait for 'due process' before balloting
    • weekday strikes better than weekends
  • concern about C of E member being told not to circulate information
  • LU job cuts
    • should continue £5 minimum boycott, and remind members
    • should boycott Enhanced AFM Functionality trial (reply: AGS is supposed to be consulting reps about this)
    • reports from reviews
    • disappointment at no strikes before implementation
  • Olympics: retired staff asked to volunteer (reply: will monitor; sub-committee should focus on opposing moves to casualisation)
  • ET claims re refusal to work on safety grounds during FBU dispute
  • attendance LDIs re not working on Boxing Day (reply: verbal advice given)
  • LU pay
    • include paid meal reliefs (disagreement about this)
    • multi-year deal only if delivers real benefits
    • equal travel facilities
  • withdrawal of Tribunal applications re LU refusal of release for training
  • Tom Mahoney's retirement
  • DLR
    • should ask other unions to support appeal
    • management attacking union
    • branch has been transformed over the last year
    • thanks from branch to region for support

5. RESOLUTIONS

1. Annual One-Day Meeting of Reps, submitted by Stratford no.1, seconded by East Ham

The London Transport Regional Council resolves to convene annual one-day meetings for all reps in each function in London Underground (operational), and similarly for health & safety reps in each function.
We believe that these will be very useful events for discussing issues of common concern, sharing experiences, identifying training needs, developing strategies and establishing contact between reps.

Carried unanimously.

2. Scheduling of branch meetings, submitted by Finsbury Park, seconded by Stratford no.1

That this Regional Council is concerned about the dates each Branch holds it meetings and how these date interlocks with the regional council’s executive committee on which each Branch Secretary and Chair are ex officio members, and how each branch feeds into the Regional Council itself.
With this in mind, we ask that the Regional Organiser convene a ‘Spheres of Influence’ meeting early in the New Year of 2011 with a view to negotiate with branch a order of coordinated, effective and influential meeting dates in time for the 2012 calendars.

Carried unanimously.

3. Education Fees and Cuts, submitted by Stratford no.1 branch, seconded by Neasden branch

1. This union deplores the ConDem government's action in voting to cut university funding, treble tuition fees and scrap the Education Maintenance Allowace (EMA).
2. We believe that this move will deter working-class people from continuing education, leaving it as a privilege for the few who can afford to pay to study.
3. We commend the actions of our union both nationally and regionally in supporting the student protests.
4. We recofnise that active solidarity between ourselves, the students, and other gorups fighting cuts will strengthen all our struggles and encourage a generalised fightback against government attacks.
5. We welcome the links made by the London Transport Regional Council with the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), including: delegations of students attending our picket lines; LTRC officers visiting student occupations; and the widely-supported Statement of Mutual Solidarity.
6. This Regional Council resolves to donate £200 to the NCAFC.

During debate, LU Fleet branch proposed that the first two clauses of its resolution be composited with this resolution. This was agreed. The following two clauses were therefore added (and other clauses renumbered):
3. The government's policy to take away Education Maintenance Allowance and increase student fees will make higher and further education less accessible to working class people and are part of an ideologically motivated attack on working class living standards.
4. Student protests and occupations have involved thousands of young people, mostly getting involved in activity for the first time, and has attracted widespread support despite being vilified in the right wing press and criminalised by the authorities, exactly the same treatment that is dealt out to trade unions in struggle.

Contributions in support for the resolution from delegates from Bakerloo, LU Fleet, Finsbury Park, Piccadilly & District West.

Carried unanimously. Further agreed to:

  • assemble at Euston station at 11.30 for Saturday's protest
  • refer to the Regional Council Executive the possibility of a further donation to the NCAFC
  • submit the resolution to RMT Young Members' Conference

EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS

E1. Fare Rises, submitted by Camden 3 branch, accepted as emergency, seconded by Finsbury Park branch

This Regional Council believes the RMT should make the most of public anger around:

  • extortionate January fare rises (some prices doubled, others up 18%)
  • Oyster cards now £5
  • abolishing intermediate zones travelcards

The campaign organised by the union should include: public leafletting, press releases, freedom of information requests on where Oyster incomplete journey charges go to, and investigating possible legal avenues for staff and passengers to pursue.

Contributions from delegates from Hammersmith and City, Neasden, Morden & Oval and Stratford no.1 branches.

Carried unanimously.

6. OTHER BUSINESS

  • Agreed to send 4 delegates to RMT Black & Ethnic Minority Members' Conference, and one delegate to RMT Young Members' Conference
  • Proposal to purchase digital camera for Regional Council use - referred to Regional Council Executive
  • Olympics Sub-Committee - all branches to be asked to nominate at least one member
  • Andy Littlechild reported on National Shop Stewards' Network conference, and advised that he has resigned from the NSSN Steering Committe - a brief discussion took place

Meeting closed 19:00.