Pay

STRIKES BY some 150 cleaners on three contracts across the Channel tunnel network have come a step closer after RMT members voted by overwhelming margins for industrial action in a bid to raise appallingly low pay levels.

The union has demanded fresh talks with subcontracting employers OCS and Initial after workers on the OCS Eurostar contract and Initial’s Eurostar and the Network Rail Channel tunnel rail link contracts endorsed action with only two votes cast against.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said:

Transport union RMT said today that it has secured a ground breaking Olympics pay deal on DLR worth £2500 made up of a guaranteed attendance payment of £900 and guaranteed overtime payments for all staff throught the olympics and paralympics period.

The agreement is constructed as follows:

• £900 attendance bonus, paid at £100 per week over a 9-week period for all staff in every grade.∙
• Time +¾ for any hour worked on overtime throughout the 9-week period with a guaranteed minimum 5 hours per week, 45 hours over the 9 week period, for all staff in every grade.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the proposal from Tube Lines to extend the current 3-year pay deal for a further 2 years, increasing wages by RPI+0.5% (minimum 2%) from 1 April 2013 and again from 1 April 2014.

We instruct the General Secretary to obtain a report on the views of our lead officer, representatives, branches and members about this proposal, and to place this report in front of us by 31 January.

London Transport Regional Council and branches to be advised.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the offer from London Underground to operational staff of:

• £100 depending on meeting ’Customer Satisfaction Survey’ targets
• £15 per shift during the Games only (total of 4 weeks) to reflect changed working patterns. The target includes ‘staff availability’ on an Underground system which has seen dramatic staffing cuts over recent years.

We reject this derisory, inadequate offer on the following grounds:

Rail Union RMT confirmed today that after constructive talks with London Overground Rail Operations Ltd (LOROL) over the last few months, they have secured a ground breaking rewards package for LOROL staff in exchange for some flexibility of work patterns during the Olympics.

The deal, which includes over 500 front line RMT members across the company at all of its locations, will mean enhanced payments for shifts worked during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the referendum/ballot result is as follows:

Total votes cast 56
Number voting ‘Yes’ 49
Number voting ‘No’ 7
Spoilt Papers 0

We note the result of our referendum ballot and accordingly instruct the General Secretary to inform the Company of our acceptance of the offer.

London Transport Regional Council to be informed.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the latest correspondence on file from the Company in relation to an improved pay and conditions offer, accordingly and in line with the Organiser’s report we instruct the General Secretary to put in place a referendum ballot with a recommendation to accept, with a closure date of November 29th 2011.

Relevant Branches and Regional Councils to be informed.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the referendum result is as follows:-

Total votes cast: 31
Number voting “Yes”: 19
Number voting “No”: 12
Spoilt Papers: 0

We also note that Unite has already accepted this pay offer.

We instruct the General Secretary to advise the company of our acceptance.

London Transport Regional Council and LU Engineering branch to be advised.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the correspondence from London Underground, reneging on its previous agreement to restore uniform cleaning vouchers. We believe that the withdrawal of these vouchers is a cut in real wages to our members.

We do not accept the company’s position, and refute management’s arguments for it. We do not accept that all uniform items can be washed in a normal domestic washing machine, and believe that the tax benefit described by LUL is one which our members should be entitled to anyway.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Regional Organiser, that Initial is paying the London Living Wage to cleaners, but has not met any other demands in our pay and conditions claims. This leaves these cleaners among the most exploited workers in London, working for disgracefully low pay, and without the sick pay, pensions and other benefits enjoyed by other workers.

From General Secretary Bob Crow

I write to advise you that the referendum on the pay offer has now concluded and the result is a follows: -

Are you prepared to accept the company’s offer?

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

Total votes cast: 3,339
Number voting Yes: 3,108
Number voting No: 230
Spoilt papers: 1

We note the ovewhelming referendum result from our London Underground members. Accordingly, we instruct the General Secretary to inform the employer of our acceptance of the offer.

From General Secretary Bob Crow

I write to advise members that we have decided to re-run the current referendum of members on this year’s pay award. This decision has been taken because a letter from management advising us of a slight amendment to the Years 2 to 4 offer was not reflected in the paperwork sent to members with the voting papers. The change is significant enough to warrant the referendum being re-run as members are not voting with the full proposal at their disposal.

Voting papers are being despatched today to your home addresses for the referendum on the company’s pay proposals. This offer has been considered by the General Grades Committee and following a consultation meeting with your representatives, we have decided to hold a referendum with a recommendation to accept the offer.

Use your vote in this referendum which closes on 31st October 2011.

13 th October 2011

TO ALL RMT MEMBERS AT LUL

Dear Colleagues,

RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2011 – LONDON UNDERGROUND

I write to advise LUL members that voting papers are being despatched today to your home addresses for the referendum on the company’s pay proposals. This offer has been considered by the General Grades Committee and following a consultation meeting with your representatives, we have decided to hold a referendum with a recommendation to accept the offer.

I urge all members to use your vote in this referendum which closes on Thursday 27 th October 2011.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Regional Organiser, and that the company’s “full and final offer” is as follows:
5% this year
Year 2: June RPI+0.5%, minimum 1%
Year 3: June RPI+0.5%, minimum 1%
Year 4: June RPI+0.5%, minimum 1%
Year 5: June RPI+0.25%, minimum 1%

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Regional Organiser, that the company has rejected all our conditions claims and offered a pay rise of just 3.5% this year, in real terms a pay cut.