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What is a National Executive Committee decision?

This article is an 'executive decision' which has been written by the RMT National Executive Committee. The National Executive is the union's governing body in between AGMs. Its decisions set out what the union will do on a particular issue.

These decisions can often be brief, and may be one of several passed over a period of time. To get a better understanding or find out more information about what the RMT is doing, speak to your rep or attend your branch or Regional Council meeting.

RMT Reject Insulting Tube Bosses' Assertion That Station Staff Not Good Enough To Drive Trains

We note the correspondence from London Underground Ltd, advising that it plans to recruit Train Operators from "the open market" and the Military Redeployment Agency.

We reject LUL's assertion that "the agreed internal processes have been exhausted without success". We believe that the implication that internal applicants, primarily Customer Service Assistants, are not good enough to become drivers is inaccurate and insulting. There are very few promotional opportunities for CSAs; this move further reduces those opportunities.

We believe that the 'shortfall of successful applicants' is because of failings in the assessment and training process, which are rejecting capable candidates. We suspect that LUL has constructed a pretext to recruit externally, to weaken the workforce solidarity that internal recruitment supports.

We are determined to challenge this move by London Underground Ltd, and to obtain justice and fairness for our members. We encourage all our members who have applied for Train Operator posts but not been successful to challenge this outcome, with the assistance of their representatives and branches.

We instruct the General Secretary to urgently contact London Underground Ltd, demanding:

  1. that this item is listed for discussion at the next Company Council meeting, and that no moves towards external recruitment take place before this discussion
  2. figures for the number of internal applicants for train operator posts, and the numbers who have passed and failed, and at what stage they failed; and for this information broken down by: age, length of service, ethnicity and gender.
    "We suspect that LUL has constructed a pretext to recruit externally, to weaken... workforce solidarity"
  3. proof that it has advertised Train Operator vacancies to all employees, and to agency workers who are entitled to be informed under the Agency Worker Regulations 2010.

We further instruct the General Secretary to write to all our London Underground members in non-driver grades, asking whether they have unsuccessfully applied to be a Train Operator, what reason was given by the company for failing them, and what concerns they have over the application process. Responses are to be placed on file and appropriate advice given. The letter is to offer support in submitting a grievance and making a Subject Access Request. In addition, we ask our representatives to speak to members at work about this.

Reports and developments to be placed in front of us. London Transport Regional Council and branches to be advised.

What is a National Executive Committee decision?

This article is an 'executive decision' which has been written by the RMT National Executive Committee. The National Executive is the union's governing body in between AGMs. Its decisions set out what the union will do on a particular issue.

These decisions can often be brief, and may be one of several passed over a period of time. To get a better understanding or find out more information about what the RMT is doing, speak to your rep or attend your branch or Regional Council meeting.