London Underground Job Cuts Dispute 2010-11

Following the removal of 800 station staff posts by the company last year, I write to advise you that London Underground is to recruit another 600 Customer Service Advisors (CSA’s), coming on top of the 300 employed earlier this year. The company has been forced into this massive u-turn, and has now increased the number of jobs by 100, after savage cuts within the last year.

An open letter has been sent by RMT Stations and Revenue Council Safety Council Staff Side Secretary Ross Marshall to LU Managing Director Mike Brown.

The letter regards "The comments.... made in relation to several questions regarding staffing levels, the current review on stations, the fact that LU had presented the OSP plans as a fait accompli and other problems related to the OSP." Questions are also being asked about the review of staffing levels at a handful of stations, and why the RMT is not being involved with on this review.

Click 'read more' to see the letter or download the attachment for the original document.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the thorough discussions that took place at the meeting of our representatives on 24 May, and the reports from our Regional Organiser and Stations & Revenue Council representatives. We also note LU management’s response to the reviews dated 25 May. We instruct the General Secretary to write urgently to LU, summarising the issues raised by our representatives at ACAS as outlined in the file, informing the company that we find its response totally inadequate and insisting on a more detailed response.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That, further to the decision of the Annual General Meeting to lift the overtime ban for this dispute, we also lift the ban on higher grade working and the 'work-to-rule' for engineering grades.

Branches, members and the London Transport Regional Council to be advised.

Report to RMT stations representatives from Janine Booth

Summary:

• London Underground does not consider the needs of equalities groups when calculating its station staffing levels.
• LU's methods for collecting information, categorising passenger journeys and assessing data are deeply flawed and fail to account for equality issues.
• LU did not carry out an adequate Equality Impact Assessment before going ahead with the OSP, despite being obliged by law to do so. The revisions it has made to the EqIA since then are minor and wholly inadequate.
  

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note that London Underground has agreed to release all our stations representatives - industrial relations and health and safety - to attend a meeting to discuss the reviews of the Operational Strategic Plan (OSP: job cuts) on May 24, and that the meeting will take place at the Indian YMCA, Fitzroy Square from 10:00 until 17:00.

We instruct the General Secretary to ensure that:

• all representatives are advised by post of this meeting and that they are expected to attend

Click on the attachment below to download the April edition of London Calling.

In this edition:

STOP VICTIMISING OUR REPS - why drivers across the combine voted 'YES' to strike action for the reinstatement of Arwyn Thomas and Eamonn Lynch;

LU REWARDS STAFF WITH PAY CUT - 'Metro of the Year' rewards its staff with more work and a pay cut;

LU STALLS ON JOB CUT REVIEWS - how LU management are sticking two fingers up to the job cut review process.

Tube union RMT today called for direct talks between the Mayor, unions and passenger groups, and demanded an immediate halt to tube jobs and maintenance cuts, after what the union described as “24 hours of tube hell.”

On Tuesday night the Jubilee Line was plunged into chaos through a combination of a power shutdown and faulty rolling stock and operating systems leaving over 1700 passengers to be detrained and walked through sweltering tube tunnels with the assistance of station staff. By Wednesday morning, the Jubilee Line was still in total disarray.

RMT reaction to latest TFL cuts plans

• TUBE CUTS JACKED UP FROM 5 BILLION TO 7.6 BILLION IN NEW TFL PLAN
• MASSIVE THREAT TO TUBE SAFETY AND SECURITY IN RUN UP TO OLYMPICS
• PASSENGERS FACE MORE DISRUPTION AND BREAKDOWNS WHILE FARES ROCKET
• RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

The RMT have released a video to explain the reason for balloting members to get our sacked reps, Eamonn Lynch and Arwyn Thomas reinstated.

RMT is balloting for industrial action at London Underground over the victimisation of these two drivers and union reps.