Tube Fleet Maintenance Staff To Be Balloted For Action as London Underground Doubles Time Between Crucial Safety Inspections

Submitted by Peter on 6 August, 2010 - 12:04

TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it is preparing a ballot for action of all tube fleet maintenance staff following an announcement by London Underground that they plan to double the length of time between safety-critical train inspections from 14 days to 28 days.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Hardly a day goes by now without TfL and LU getting caught out playing fast and loose with staff and passenger safety. These fortnightly inspections identify worn brake blocks, cracks in securing brackets and other distressed components. Moving these inspections to monthly is literally dicing with death in the interests of saving money.

RMT Circular: Maintenance Optimisation

Submitted by Admin on 5 August, 2010 - 08:00

Official circular - MAINTENANCE OPTIMISATION - LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/15/4/)

Dear Colleagues,

A resolution was received from LU Fleet about an alarming policy change by management over the maintenance regime on trains. This was placed before the General Grade Committee who have made the following decision:-

RMT Circular: Kevin Mortell

Submitted by Admin on 5 August, 2010 - 08:00

DISMISSAL- K.MORTELL, TRAIN OPERATOR, WHITE CITY, (LUL/4/1)

Dear Colleague

I regret to advise you that the ballot to reinstate Brother Mortell must be rerun due to an administrative error With the Anti Trade Union laws being so incredibly restrictive we cannot risk the company challenging the previous ballot and declaring any industrial action called from it illegal. Therefore the safest course of action is to re run the ballot and I offer my sincere apologies to for this error.

London Underground Threatens To Rip Up Job Protection Agreement Over 'Staff Our Stations' Ballot

Submitted by Peter on 31 July, 2010 - 16:33

TUBE UNION RMT today condemned a threat by London Underground to rip up an existing agreement on job protection as “blatant intimidation and provocation of members who are currently balloting for action over tube safety and the threat to 800 station-based staff posts.”

Gerry Duffy, LU’s Director of Employee Relations, has written to both RMT and TSSA, who are also balloting for action, demanding that the current democratic votes of members be halted or he will tear up negotiated agreements and procedures – paving the way for a jobs massacre across the tube that would impact on all staff and all unions

Notes from Branch Membership Secretaries Training Day

Submitted by Janine on 29 July, 2010 - 14:55

London Transport Region held a training day for branch membership secretaries on 26 July. Thanks to everyone who came along and took part. The day seemed to go very well, and I hope everyone got something out of it.

As well as training the membership secretaries, we managed to also generate quite a few ideas and plans, as follows:

Regional Council to:

  • repeat the training for those branch membership secretaries who were unable to attend (I'll email them to work out an appropriate date)