SFC News to download - Roving Supervisors and Ticket Office Cuts

RMT Demands
24/7 Supervisor on Every Station
No Ticket Office Closures

LU Explains how Roving Supervisors will respond to incidents during service breakdowns: See picture.

The issue of mobile Supervisors on the Wembley Central and Hammersmith (at Kew & Gunnersbury) groups moved to ACAS for the most recent talks.
LU has refused to implement the temporary arrangements agreed after a strike in 2008 and has tried to impose a model of mobile supervision.
RMT has taken a clear position on this question. In accordance with LU’s published job descriptions and the terms of its safety certificate we demand 24/7 supervisor cover with each supervisor responsible for a single station.
At ACAS RMT reps made it clear to management that we will not accept mobile supervision and we will be in dispute with the company if it goes ahead and imposes this model on the Wembley Central and Hammersmith Groups.
The talks at ACAS did not refer to the rest of the Underground, management still refuse to discuss their plans for widespread organisational change. However, the company has declined to deny rumours that the mobile supervisor model will be rolled out across the network.
We are determined to defend the role of supervisors, who are responsible for the safe running of the tube and play an important operational, as well as customer service, role.
This fight is important for all members. Without supervisors on each station CSAs will be left to manage stations alone but will not be paid for taking on this responsibility. The abolition of many supervisory positions will destroy the promotion prospects for thousands of RMT members.
We are now waiting for a written response from LU about their position on the issues on the Wembley Central and Hammersmith groups. In the meantime, LU has agreed that the “Roving Supervisor” positions will not be filled.

LU Says No Consultation on Wave & Pay Because Mayor has Decided it Will Go Ahead

Management has told RMT that they want to conduct a trial, or is that a pilot? (we’ll come back to that later), of Wave & Pay in November.
LU wants 1000 members of staff to use their own bank cards to pay for journeys, along with 4000 specially chosen members of the public. Management could not explain how fares would be reclaimed or any other arrangements for staff using their own bank cards.
RMT functional reps have objected to this. We have not been told the aims or methodology of the proposed trial. LU also wants to go ‘live’ with Wave & Pay for all passengers in January.
We asked for agreement that they would delay going live if we have not been given the opportunity to consult fully on the trial and see the company’s data.
Incredibly, management refused and said they could not delay going live as the Mayor has decided it will go ahead!
We then pointed out that we have an agreement that any trial will be consulted on and agreed at full Stations Functional Council. At this point management decided it was not a trial after all, but a pilot!!!
This ludicrous semantic approach to negotiation is obviously LU’s new approach to dealing with it’s workers. First we had plans that are not plans but “feasibility studies” and now we have trials that are, in fact, pilots.
Whatever they call it, we will demand a proper evaluation of the aims and outcome of any trial, pilot, prototype, dry run or exploration.
Cash Handling - Another trial!
LU is also looking at trialling an automated cash handling process that would allow G4 to make cash collections without needing to see LU staff. The cash handling unit would also do away with the need to float and service POMs.
It has nothing to do with getting rid of SAMFs, say management. No of course not.
This trial, which we expect to be re-named as a project, is not imminent but we will oppose any attempt to further cut SAMF jobs.