Campaigning for better pay
We need a decent pay rise to meet the rising bills that we have to pay. Here are some facts and figures, with sources in [square brackets]:
LUL Management seems to have got themselves in a twist over the 2009 pay.
RMT have demanded a substantial one year pay rise and other benefits, including a ‘floor’ salary of £26,000. Heating and food bills have gone right up over the last year and Underground passenger numbers are higher than ever.
Signallers on the Waterloo and City are celebrating a victory today, LU refused to recognise the unique controller duties they performed and classified them as the lowest grade signal operator.
After months of unrest LUL have caved in and agreed to regrade the staff at Waterloo to Service Controller Waterloo and City, increase their pay to 40k (The 40k figure is based on the fact the control room staff will not work night duties or Sundays) and back date the pay claim to the 1st April 2008.
From Circular No. IR 283, November 27 2008
Dear Colleagues,
RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2009:
I write to confirm that a common claim for improvements to rates of pay and conditions of service in 2009 was formally lodged with all of the above employers last week. The basis of the claim is as follows:
Below is a question-and-answer briefing produced by LUL management to explain pay rates for working on New Year's Eve.
LUL produced this Q&A a year ago, and the only thing that has changed since then is that there are no longer payments for Operational Duty Managers.
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These Q& A’s must be used in conjunction with the current Pay Arrangements for New Years Eve Payments.
RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2009:
LONDON UNDERGROUND LTD EDF ENERGY POWERLINK METRONET (BCV AND SSL) TfL ALSTOM METRO TRAINS
I write to confirm that a common claim for improvements to rates of pay and conditions of service in 2009 was formally lodged with all of the above employers last week. The basis of the claim is as follows:
From the Bakerloo branch newsletter
Capitalism is in crisis: world markets collapse, banks are part nationalised and the government bails out big business to the tune of billions of pounds. Naturally the talk in the mess room is "what's happening with the pay negotiations?"
It is entirely rational that workers on the tube want to safeguard our livelihood during this time. Many workers will be mortgaged up to the eyeballs and seeing their homes sink into negative equity on a daily basis.
But will London's tube workers be treated as favourably as London's bankers?
by Vaughan Thomas, RMT Trains Council
National and local media often accuse Tube drivers of being overpaid and under worked. Whenever we have a dispute they trot out the old refrain that a trained monkey could do our job, and it’s about time that the Mayor took on the unions! Flogging’s too good for the likes of us!
They compare us to underpaid workers in the emergency services: the nurses, paramedics and firefighters and say we should be grateful for what we’ve got. How dare we ask for more!
The first issue of your RMT Region's new-look quarterly newsletter is out now, and has been mailed to every member at home. It urges members to get ready for the battle ahead to win a decent pay rise; to defend workmates who face victimisation; and to support and unite local disputes in defence of jobs and against management bullying.
Click on the file name below to view, download and/or print it.
Circular No. IR 245/08 from RMT head office, Publication Date: October 9 2008
Dear Colleagues
CLAIM FOR PARITY PAYMENTS – SHIFT TESTER MEMBERS – EDF POWERLINK
Last week talks broke down at ACAS (the Government backed conciliatory service) between RMT and EDF Powerlink. The dispute centres on a change to the Shift Tester members 12 hour shift roster from the current 10 hour day and 14 hour nights.