RMT to Ballot LU Drivers for Strikes in Escalation of Battle against Victimisations

RMT General Grades Committee decision today:

We note that our Regional Council has voted unanimously that it wishes to escalate our battle for the reinstatement of our sacked driver reps Eamonn Lynch and Arwyn Thomas to a strike ballot of all London Underground driver members. Our driver reps and members see these sackings as part of a concerted disciplinary clampdown against drivers across London Underground and as an attempt by LUL to weaken RMT’s organisation among train grades.

Accordingly, we instruct the General Secretary to ballot all our London Underground driver members as soon as practical for strike action to demand the reinstatement of Eamonn and Arwyn and to oppose the disciplinary clampdown and attack on our trade union, and to take all practical steps to maximise the ‘Yes’ vote in this ballot.

We further instruct the General Secretary to:

• review legal advice with a view to holding a single ballot of all drivers if legally possible
• send a personal letter by post to all driver members explaining the issue and strongly urging them to vote ‘Yes’
• liaise with the Regional Council and its Train Grades Committee to produce effective materials encouraging members to vote Yes in this ballot
• promote this campaign by personally visiting drivers’ workplaces and arranging for the Regional Organiser to do so too
• make clear that should London Underground not reinstate our sacked reps, this union will consider a further escalation of the action to include other grades
• provide regular updates to members on this issue, including on the progress of Employment Tribunals
• convene a members’ meeting on the day that the ballot closes to discuss the result and seek members’ views on the action to be taken; to include in the personal letter referred to above an invitation to this meeting, specifying the date, time and venue
• seek the support of other trade unions on London Underground for this campaign