Every Job Matters - Defending London Underground Jobs

 

Get Involved In Our Campaign To Defend And Improve Jobs

WHAT YOU CAN DO to be part of our campaign to defend and improve jobs:

Join RMT

If you are already a member of RMT, get active and involved:

  • talk to your RMT rep
  • make sure that RMT has your up-to-date details (address, grade, location, etc)
  • make sure that RMT has your email address and mobile number so the union can contact you quickly and easily
  • persuade a workmate to join
  • get involved in your RMT branch

L1 reps Should Speak to SFC rep Before attending Ad-Hoc or Informal Meeting Re:Future Stations Plans

RMT Stations Functional Council (SFC) reps have become aware that some L1 Reps on at least two lines have been asked to attend meetings with local and line managers to discuss LU's plans for the future organisation of station staffing.

There has been no formal consultation at any level over this issue and it is a clear breech of our agreed machinery of negotiation for LU to take the matter staright to L1.

Access Needs Staff

Everyone knows that London Underground is woefully inaccessible to disabled people and others. A major programme of physical improvements to stations would increase access and create jobs. But access also means staff.

For example, RMT supports the continuing use of boarding ramps to enable access for mobility-impaired passengers to London Underground trains. This must be properly risk-assessed and have a safe and effective system of work, and requires adequate numbers of staff on every station to use the ramps.

Bring Tube Contracts Back In House

Since the 1980s, various parts of London Underground have been hived off to the private sector, leading to pay cuts, job losses, worse services and more bureaucracy. The failures of these privatisations – and RMT campaigning – have led to some of these sections returning to public ownership:

  • Metronet collapsed in 2007 and became part of LUL again in 2008
  • Tube Lines was bought by TfL in 2010
  • Tube Lines has taken train maintenance at Stratford Market Depot away from Alstom and back in-house

Feb 2013 London Calling Newsletter

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.

Cuts Cost Lives - Staff Save Lives

CUTS COST LIVES ... STAFF SAVE LIVES

RMT has warned that London Underground was planning to plunge the tube system into the same lethal cocktail of safety cuts and automation that led to nine people being killed on the Washington DC Red Line service in 2009.

  • In June 2009, a rush-hour crash on the Washington DC metro killed nine people, including the operator. It was caused by failure of the automated system, and the Washington Post called it “the price of parsimony” after numerous near-misses went unheeded against a background of cuts to maintenance
    schedules and inspections.

They Say - We Say

They say: New technology means that London Underground needs fewer staff.

We say: New technology can improve London Underground if it is used alongside staff, not instead of us. But LUL is developing technology specifically for the purpose of getting rid of jobs - this is the rationale behind driverless trains or 'wave and pay'. LUL should develop different technology that works effectively with staff to improve the service.

Current plans for technology will worsen the service, increase unemployment and are a waste of public money.

RMT London Calling Newsletter February 2013 Edition

You can download the newsletter below

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.

Unfortunately those who run Government, in London and nationally, and their highly paid bosses at London Underground are not moved by rational arguments. A fully staffed underground system would offer the World Class service that Londoners expect.

Job Cuts part 2: What's happening Where You Work?

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.