DLR branch

RMT members on Docklands Light Railway will strike on 23-26 June after the company refused to give workers any reward for their co-operation with the introduction of new three-car trains.

The extra carriage on each train means that PSAs work with 50% more capacity, so in effect, DLR is saving the cost of half a PSA - around £25,000 - per train. Yet it refuses to share the benefits of three-car running with staff.

This is a statement from General Secretary Bob Crow:

I am pleased to report that another dispute has now been resolved, that is the attempt by SERCO Docklands management to force Control Room staff from a popular 12 hour roster to an 8 hour one without any redress.

Urgent update: Docklands Light Railway has sacked a member of staff for having had swine flu and an accident at work! Unlike other companies (even London Underground!), DLR management has refused to discount swine flu absences from its sickness attendance policy. RMT's DLR branch is planning to hold an emergency meeting to launch a campaign to reverse this outrageous sacking.

Circular No. IR/253/09: IMPOSITION OF ROSTERS – CONTROL ROOM – SERCO DOCKLANDS

The above dispute remains ongoing and I am in the process of re-balloting these members for strike action and industrial action short of a strike.

To re-cap, the dispute originated last year from an attempt by management to force Control Room staff from a popular 12 hour roster to an 8 hour one. A successful ballot for industrial action forced them to pull back from implementation, but negotiations broke down and Serco again attempted to unilaterally implement the 12 hour roster.

Circular No. IR/170/09 29th May 2009

Dear Colleagues

I can confirm that as a direct result of an RMT re-ballot of Serco Docklands Control Room Staff, the company has again backed off from implementing a roster to the detriment of our members. In noting the position, the General Grades Committee has made it clear that in the event of Docklands management again attempting to pull such a stunt sometime in the future, our response will be on a company wide basis involving all members.

From RMT official circular 138/09, dated 21st April 2009

Members will recall that earlier in the year the union suspended proposed strike action in relation to the above dispute to facilitate discussions under the auspices of ACAS.

Regrettably, these discussions have failed to resolve the issue that has led to the dispute, namely management’s decision to implement new rosters which will remove the 12 hour weekend shifts replacing them with 8 hour shifts, thus creating a situation where members in the Control Room will lose 24 rest days per annum.

This resolution, proposed by DLR branch, was defeated at the February meeting of the Regional Council.

Although we have a very pro-active parliamentary lobby group of 40 to 50 MPs, they can be hopelessly outnumbered (about 6-1) by MPs guided by other interests and influences.

In stark contrast, trade unionists alone outnumber those in power.

But the potential for us to become the meat and muscle on the skeletal political and democratic frame is far from being realised – a situation that benefits the powerful and greedy immensely.

RMT press release, issued today

A STRIKE by members of Britain’s biggest rail union working in the control room of the Docklands Light Railway has been suspended after the company agreed to leave existing roster and leave arrangements in place pending the outcome of further talks.

Some 30 RMT members had been scheduled to begin a 24-hour stoppage at 13:05 on Monday in a dispute over changes to weekend working hours.

RMT Head Office Circular No. IR/18/09 - 29th January 2009 IMPOSITION OF ROSTERS – CONTROL ROOM, SERCO DOCKLANDS

Docklands Control Centre members recently returned a massive mandate in support of both strike action and short of strike action.

Management were informed of the ballot result which shows the strength of feeling RMT members have over the imposition of the new rosters and shows members are prepared to back strike action or short of strike action against the imposition of the new rosters.