Vote YES in RMT's Ballots for Action Short of Strikes

RMT is balloting its members on London Underground on two separate issues. These are not ballots for strikes, but for 'action short of strikes'.

They are necessary because of LUL's actions - and will become unnecessary if and when LUL backs off from its dangerous and unacceptable course of action. Until such a point is reached, please vote YES in both these ballots.

Issue 1. Implementation of our Olympic deal

RMT secured an agreement with LUL that gives our members a financial reward for Olympics working without any changes to framework agreements. Unfortunately, there were then problems with RMT representatives being excluded from duty allocations, and LU stating that not everyone would get the lump sum part of the bonus. So we had to call our ballot in order to protect our members and enforce our agreement.

Many of these problems seem to have been resolved, and once our reps confirm that there are no further problems, the union's Executive will consider whether it is necessary to proceed with this ballot. But until then, the ballot goes ahead, so that you can lawfully refuse to carry out unacceptable duties; please vote YES.

Issue 2. London Underground's Breaches of Casualisation Dispute Settlement

Despite the claims in management's propaganda, Incident Customer Service Assistants (ICSAs) are *not* fully-trained station staff - in fact, they are neither fully-trained nor station staff! They are managers and admin staff, given a short training course and a hi-vi, and sent to help out on stations.

Helping out is one thing - being counted as part of the safety-critical team required to keep a station open is something else: it is utterly reckless, dangerous to staff, passengers and ICSAs themselves, and undermines the role of station staff and therefore threatens job security. And yet this is what LUL management intend to do.

RMT secured an agreement with London Underground in 2008, that the minimum staffing number for each station is "Station Supervisor(s) and ”State number” London Underground station staff fully trained, qualified, licensed and familiarised to a minimum of CSA level". London Underground is breaking this agreement.

This issue affects you even if you are not station staff. How long before LUL tries to introduce Incident Train Operators, Incident Line Controllers or Incident Anything Else?

After talks at ACAS today, London Underground is still insisting on counting ICSAs towards minimum numbers, and using them in roles that are beyond what is acceptable or appropriate.

RMT is balloting you for industrial action short of a strike, so that you can lawfully refuse to co-operate with this disastrous policy.

Please vote YES in both these ballots. If we do not stand up to these attacks, the future of our job does not bear thinking about.

Janine Booth
RMT Executive member

Steve Hedley
RMT Regional Organiser