Petrit Mihaj

We note the report from our Regional Organiser, and further verbal reports indicating possible progress towards resolving the complaint against our representative. We instruct the General Secretary to place a report in front of us as to progress within seven days.

We further instruct the General Secretary to ensure as a matter of urgency that our instructions in our previous decision on this matter on 17 July are carried out.

"We...believe that the judgment in Mihaj vs Sodexo may be very useful for members in other companies"

We note with concern the correspondence advising that Brother Mihaj had not received the payment ordered by the Employment Tribunal within the required timescale, but note that he has now received the payment.

We further note that Brother Mihaj was successful in his Employment Tribunal application on the grounds that his employer did not use discretion in his case despite the contract of employment stating that discretion applied. We note that many employers routinely act in a similar fashion, for example refusing payments or applying disciplinary sanctions without exercising the discretion the contract or policy includes.

We welcome the success of our representative Petrit Mihaj in winning the return of his deducted sick pay at Employment Tribunal. This vindicates our decision to pursue this case. We further note that Brother Mihaj and his representative are making constructive efforts to arrange his return to work.

However, following more than six months of suspension, Sodexho has now charged Petrit with misconduct, despite there having been no complaint made against him.

Updated with Regional Organiser Steve Hedleys' Report & Motions.

Synopsis from RMT LTRC President Vaughan Thomas

We had excellent contributions from the C of E member Janine Booth and the RO Steve Hedley. We also had a guest speaker who talked about the National Shop Stewards Network and the upcoming conference on June 9th in London.

You can view the newsletter here. If you want to help out, then please download it using the link below the article, print it and hand it out to Sodexo canteen staff at your workplace.

The RMT is the only union campaigning for Sodexo canteen workers

RMT believes in direct employment of all catering staff. The appallingly low wages paid to sub-contracted caterers has already been described.

These are the issues I covered in my report to the Regional Council on 23 February:

• Track contractors’ charter
• Website / app
• RMT/TSSA merger
• Eurostar cleaners / Heathrow Express
• Petrit’s legal case
• Women – training / conference
• Alstom – Jerusalem LR
• TUSC – C of E to consult branches
• Grades and equalities conferences
• World Book Day / ULRs
• Tube Lines pay, pensions, DSM dispute
• Breaches of casualisation dispute settlement (ICSAs, agency staff)
• Stations access
  

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note that Sodexo stopped the occupational sick pay of our representative Petrit Mihaj, claiming that a clause in the contract of employment allows the company to withhold sick pay if an employee is under notice of or part of the disciplinary process.

We believe that this clause is deeply unfair, as it causes a detriment to an employee without him or her being found to have done anything wrong, or even to have been charged with doing anything wrong.

Canteen rep Petrit Mihaj

RMT has agreed reduced-rate subscriptions of £1 per week for workers at Initial Cleaners and Sodexho canteens in London Transport. This reduced rate is part of our organising campaign to achieve recognition in these two companies, and will be reviewed in 12 months' time.