Victoria Line Dispute Won

The original newsletter is attached below

RMT pressure gets management to back off 6 rounder turns and commit to work with us to stop abuses of policies.

Last ditch talks this week with the threat of a month of disruption on the line finally resulted in written assurances from the Director of BCV (Peter McNaught) which went far enough to resolve the dispute on the line and safeguard your interests. Here is a reminder of the issues and what management have now promised us.  Management were failing to respond to your Union’s concerns concerning duty schedules

Union demand
No 6 rounder turns and reduce the amount of 5 rounder turns

Management commitment
To not introduce any 6 rounder turns now or in the new timetable (which will be until at least 2015) and to fully exhaust the machinery before any are planned to be used. Also to work with local reps to wherever practical equalise the Victoria line rosters.

This is significant progress as we now have forced back plans for 6 rounder turns and ensure that in the future they come to us first before trying to bring any in. Also we have firm commitment to improve the current duties and those planned for April. We now have a written assurance from senior management. Without this assurance and your support of the Union’s position 6 rounder turns were very much a possibility both now and in the next timetable and there were no immediate plans to work with us to equalize the duties. In fact despite promising to do this previously management threatened to remove 4 jobs from the roster and introduce 6 rounder turns!

Management were forcing drivers onto overtime which breaches the trains framework agreement and breaching other polices and agreements.

Union demand
No job to be given out that breaks agreements and management to ensure that drivers finish on time and don’t work compulsory overtime and commit to comply with all aspects of the trains framework agreement and other policies and agreements..

Members are congratulated for their support of the union which alone has secured these assurances – RMT standing up for drivers on the Victoria line.

Management commitment
to give local managers training to ensure that they understand sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the framework agreement relating to non enforcement of overtime and to advise local managers that they must at all times abide by existing agreements. Furthermore bi-weekly meetings will be held with rmt reps chaired by the performance manager and involving senior employee relations managers ensuring that all policy breaches previously raised are actively monitored to ensure agreements and policies are being adhered to.

This is a significant step forward as now we have a written assurance from a senior manager that all local managers at Brixton should be trained to make sure that you are not forced onto overtime outside agreements. If they continue to do this and break other agreements they are willingly breaking the terms of the resolution of our dispute and effectively ignoring the instruction of a senior manager. We know what happens to us when we refuse an instruction!

Also previously management back tracked on holding bi weekly meetings and were trying to make them more of a cosy chat with the TOM. We now have structured bi weekly meetings with RMT only agreed. This agreement now makes sure that you should be treated fairly under the company’s policies and if this does not happen then it will be raised at this meeting and it should be put right. All of this is put in place to protect your dignity at work and make sure you are treated fairly. As a result the national union has called off the action due to commence on 8th October and you should work normally.