Opposing cuts in staffing levels and jobs
FIGHT AGAINST JOB CUTS
Members should already be in receipt of the broadsheet, "We Can Stop Job Cuts". This outlines how we lost over 800 jobs between March 2011 & March 2012, while passenger numbers have soared to record levels. The Broadsheet details all the arguments of our Union to maintain a fully staffed, publicly owned and integrated transport system.
Thirty-three agency staff working on London Underground, some for as long as five years, were told just before Christmas that the contract with their agency, Trainpeople, had been ended, and that they would lose their jobs in January.
The workers had joined RMT and campaigned successfully for equal pay with permanent staff, but the contract was then terminated without warning and London Underground told them that applications for direct employment would not be considered, making a mockery of Agency Worker Regulations that are supposed to protect their rights.
That we note the result of the ballot for strikes is as follows:-
Total Votes Cast - 17
Number Voting ‘Yes’ - 17
Number Voting ‘No’ - 0
Spoilt Papers - 0
We congratulate our members on their willingness to take action and for their tireless campaigning alongside their many supporters. We instruct the General Secretary to continue to support campaigning events organised by our Bakerloo branch, and to obtain and place in front of us a report on appropriate industrial action following the branch's next meeting on Monday 4 February.
TUBE UNION RMT said today that in a ballot of staff working on London Underground’s “Trainpeople” agency contract members have voted unanimously for strike action over the termination of a deal which will dump dozens of staff on the dole and which makes a mockery of regulations which were supposed to protect the employment rights of agency staff.
RAIL UNION RMT warned today that a looming shortage of skilled staff, driven by a failure to invest in training and apprenticeships and the dash to sub out key work to agencies and contractors, will threaten the timetables for future rail projects including the High Speed proposals unveiled this week.
The RMT warning is backed by research by the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering for the Office of Rail Regulation that was published just a few days ago.
Happy 150 birthday? Support staff at London Transport Museum - what you can do.
London Transport Museum is suffering from a reduction over four years of 25% of its grant from TfL - £1.5 million. The Museum is very successful at attracting funding and raising income from its shop, ticket sales, events and sponsorship, but the withdrawal of this grant (an eighth of total funding) has a significant impact at a time when arts funding has been drastically cut. The admission price has risen to £15 and staff, who have just been involved in the fabulous historic Tube 150 steam runs, now wait for news of another reorganisation.
We note the correspondence from London Underground Ltd, outlining its refusal to offer employment to the redundant Trainpeople employees, and containing a list of spurious excuses for denying the legal and moral rights of these workers.
We condemn London Underground’s refusal to offer permanent employment to people who have been working on its stations for up to five years or more
We instruct the General Secretary to:
This is the second part of a two part article taken from our newsletter on fighting job cuts. You can download it from here or request copies here
Fleet
LUL is deliberately moving to a system of less frequent maintenance of the train fleet. They want us to make checks on equipment such as tripcocks far less often. Examinations have already been moved from every 14 days to 28 days, and management plan to change daily checks to once every 60 days, and have us check the new stock just every 60 days. They also plan to reduce Hammersmith depot to little more than a stabling yard, cutting jobs and displacing staff, and to use the introduction of new trains as a pretext to do away with long-established rosters and working practices.
These cuts will inevitably lead to more failures and risk to passengers and staff, but management only care about saving money. They plan to do that by cutting our jobs and reducing their wage bill.
London Transport Museum staff - RMT and TSSA members, are expecting news of redundancies any day now. We and calling for support at two City Hall lobbies to ask TfL to restore the £1.5 million cut from the museum!
KNOW YOU RIGHTS – USE THEM OR LOSE THEM!
It may not feel like it at times, but you have rights at work! Some are set down in law, some are company policies and agreements fought for by RMT.
These laws and rights cover issues such as: