RMT GGC made the following decision on the Bakerloo detrainment dispute.

DETRAINMENT – LONDON UNDERGROUND LUL/14/10

Branches will be aware of our ongoing dispute with London Underground over the company’s detrainment policy on the Bakerloo and Central Lines. Talks recently took place at ACAS and the General Grades Committee has now considered a report from the Regional Organiser.

“We note the report from our Regional Organiser on the talks at ACAS held on Tuesday 29 January 2013, and share his regret that the proposals offered by London Underground were so woefully inadequate. We reiterate that in the absence of a credible technological solution, the only safe detrainment procedure is for appropriately-licensed LUL staff to physically check that trains are empty of passengers before they are driven into sidings or depots.

We congratulate Bakerloo line drivers for their solid support for the industrial action despite management pressure. We further regret that management have chosen to mislead passengers as to the extent and cause of the disruption to the line rather than back down from their reckless policy.

We further note the correspondence from LUL stating its intention to deploy (privately-employed) security staff on the Bakerloo line as a purported resolution of this dispute. We completely oppose this, and consider it a provocation and a threat to job security across London Underground. In the event of any attempt by LUL to deploy security staff, this union will seek to mobilise all members in all grades against this, using all resources at our disposal, up to and including industrial action.

We further note the correspondence on file regarding the appalling treatment of our representative Jayesh Patel, who was questioned for four hours, refused a personal needs break, kept at work beyond his finish time, and stood down from duty. Jayesh had done nothing more than apply a safe procedure on departing platforms. We instruct the General Secretary to offer full support and representation to Jayesh, and to obtain legal advice on this case.

We further note the emails from our two Central Line branches, and agree with their view that detrainment is an important issue for station staff; it has already cost station staff posts on the Bakerloo line, and threatens further station staff jobs on the Central line and on other lines. We therefore agree with these branches that station staff should be involved in campaigning to retain their role in safe detrainment across all lines. We instruct the General Secretary to assist our LTRC in the production and distribution of a leaflet alerting station staff to this issue, and declare that threats to station staff role in detrainment will be met with serious consideration of industrial action by these grades as well as by drivers.

Finally, we note the draft leaflet for the public on file (‘Over Your Dead Body’) and instruct the General Secretary to arrange for this to be printed and distributed to Bakerloo line passengers.

London Transport Regional Council, branches and Bakerloo and Central line representatives to be advised.