Minutes of RMT London Transport Regional Council meeting, August 2008

APOLOGIES: Peacock, Harris, Gandolfi, Haughian, Littlechild

ATTENDANCE

  • Bakerloo
  • Camden - O’Brien, Reid, Vickers
  • Central Line West - Thomas, Parmar
  • DLR -
  • East Ham - Izard, Baillie
  • Finsbury Park - Watson, Jowcham, Rayfield, O’Hanlon, Kelly, Reid, Cochrane, Murr
  • LU fleet -
  • Hammersmith & City - Pinnock
  • Jubilee S. & East London - Aitken, Gwynn
  • LU Engineering - Darby, Jackson
  • Morden & Oval -
  • Neasden - Eivers, Wood
  • Picc & Dist West - Sutton, Martin, Pugh, Hodgson, New, Vyas
  • Retired - Richardson
  • Stratford - Mirza
  • TfL - Foster, Wiles
  • Thames Riverboats -

PREVIOUS MINUTES: Proposed TfL Seconded Camden

MATTERS ARISING: £200 was given in solidarity to brother Bowes.

RECRUITMENT: Brother Rayfield gave a report on recruitment. Recruitment is picking up with more people joining in the recruitment days. He further urged more support from other branches in the region. There are still problems with membership.

THE REGIONAL ORANISERS REPORT: Brian Whitehead reported on:

  • TubeLines dispute
  • Cleaners' dispute: ongoing issues with Initial
  • CBS outdoors dispute
  • Bus drivers
  • ISS RMT reps barred from representing members if reps don’t work for ISS
  • TfL problems with recognition
  • Stations issues
  • Drivers' issues
  • Eurostar cleaners' dispute
  • SW Trains ticket offices

Questions and debate followed

COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVE MEMBERS REPORT

Brother New reported on:

  • TubeLines
  • Cleaners
  • South West Trains dispute
  • All the other disputes on LU ie. Rickmansworth group, East Ham group, Waterloo group, CBS pay, cleaners dispute and Eurostar dispute and infrastructure mainline talks
  • Proposed trip to Brussels [see attachment]on the 16th October contact Olly New to book seats.

Both the EC member and the RO were asked about deportations of cleaners and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

REPORTS FROM

East Ham Rickmansworth Retired members

RESOLUTIONS

1. Closure of the East London Line

This branch is disturbed at the ease with which the East London Line Closure was dealt with by management, without so much as a ballot for industrial action. Our proposal is that if this type of wholesale closure was to ever be proposed Again, that this union would at the very least ballot its members for some form of action.

Although the RMT and the TSSA had a joint anti- closure campaign, We feel very strongly, that our Brothers and Sisters, many who had spent most if not all of their careers on the Line, were badly let down by the Head Office of our Union! Also during this campaign, some members of the Region seemed to be more interested In internal infighting, than our plight as members facing displacement!

Moved Stratford, seconded Camden - passed unanimously.

2. We at Stratford branch are appalled at the decision to try and renege on the East London line train staff agreement, that was made by the trains council and ratified by company council. We believe that any attempt to do so will be a watershed in negotiations with LUL. We resolve that this Region would have to call for action from all grades to defend our members and the integrity of agreements.

Moved Stratford, seconded Camden - passed unanimously.

3. This branch notes that the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) are hosting a “Young Transport Workers Conference” in Brussels on 6-8 October 2008, to link with the World Day for Decent Work 7 October 2008 which is being sponsored by the Brussels-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). This branch notes that

  • RMT is an affiliate of ITF
  • requests the council of executives to ensure that an RMT young member delegation is sent to this conference
  • asks the council of executives to consider that the composition of the delegation should where possible, have gender equality and include national RMT young member liaison committee members and the RMT young member award winner as a minimum.

Moved TfL, seconded Central Line West - passed unanimously.

LEARNER REP

The post of Learner Rep Coordinator was filled by election with brother Murray from Finsbury park gaining most votes.

THE MEETING WAS CLOSED AT 7PM DUE TO LACK OF TIME WITH SOME OUTSTANDING BUSINESS.