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:-

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download this as a 2-page leaflet containing other articles too.

1. London Underground management propose to cut around 800 station staff. This means that they are looking to get maintenance staff who work out on the operational railway attending and assisting in emergency situations eg. If a train gets stalled in a tunnel, with no station staff available, they will send out a callpoint maintainer or technical officer.

From Steve Hedley, Regional Organiser ...

Maintenance “optimisation” is an attempt to move the vast majority of the 14day exam out to 28 days endangering the public and our members jobs

This is what our two failed Infracos said about themselves before they signed their PPP contracts ...

"Tube Lines believes that it will add value to the vital public service provided by LUL by delivering on time and to budget."

"Metronet has the skills, the knowledge and the ability along with sound financial backing to help turn London Underground into a system fit for the 21st century."

If anyone had to eat their words, the bosses of these consortia would have alphabetti spaghetti on the menu for years to come ...

London Underground and the trade unions have been discussing a new 'Machinery of Negotiation and Consultation' (the rules and structures under which management and unions talk to each other). This is called the 'Single Machinery' as it aims to create one set of rules following the return of Metronet to London Underground.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to view and download the latest draft. Please post your views using the 'comments' facility on this post (you will need to be logged in), or e-mail Janine.

The attached document summarises the differences between the policies of the former Metronet and the policies of London Underground. As Metronet is now part of London Underground, there will be a process to 'harmonise' these policies. By comparing them, we can see which are the best bits of each!

Thanks to Paul Jackson for compiling this document.

A Presentation document from LUL’s Performance Day earlier this year has been “uncovered” by RMT; detailing London Underground’s Maintenance Directorate Strategic Planning over the next few years.

*** Click '2 attachments' and the file names and you can download both management's document and these comments as a Word document.

LUL’s secret plans for all functions of LU Maintenance (former Metronet) contain the most offensive views of staff, and lay out a strategy of first making detailed management preparations, before intentionally drawing the unions into a manufactured dispute; leading them into a tactical strike with pre-arranged government support to defeat the tube unions (RMT!).

This is an official RMT circular - IR/61/10 dated 18th of February 2010, from General Secretary Bob Crow.

I write to advise branches that victory has been achieved in the above dispute which has been concluded following talks at ACAS and the industrial action has been suspended.

Click '2 attachments' / file names to download a leaflet and the text of the agreement reached at ACAS.

Following developments today at ACAS, the RMT has agreed to suspend ALL action for this Sunday (and subsequent Sundays following this).

Over the next few weeks, a procedure will be agreed whereby any discussions on roster changes will need to go through a defined process that allows for full discussions to occur at local, functional and company council levels.

Colleagues:

We need to advise you that RMT Signal maintainers working for the former Metronet will be taking industrial action for 24 hours starting from 06.45 on Friday 5th of February.

Their dispute is over the imposition of unagreed rosters that change Monday to Friday workers to compulsory weekends

This dispute could have serious implications for the safety of the service that LU will be offering for the duration of the industrial action.

• TfL
• Alstom
• London Underground engineering workers (ex-Metronet)
• London Underground "summit"
• EDF

Former Metronet signals members voted massively in favour of both strike action and action short of a strike.

The First 24 hour strike action will take place between 06.45 hours on Friday 5th February and 06.45 hours on Saturday 6th February 2010.

Further 24 hour strike action will take place every weekend from Sunday morning into Monday morning. The first of these will take place between 06.45 hours on Sunday 14th February and 06.45 hours on Monday 15th February 2010.

TUBE UNION RMT announced today that London Underground (Metronet) members covered by the Signals Framework Agreement have voted by a massive majority of over 90% for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over the imposition of new rosters, breaches of agreements and the handing over of work to external contractors.

RMT have accused LUL management of unilaterally ripping up agreements, bulldozing through shift patterns that treat staff like slabs of meat that can be pulled off the shelf when it suits managers and of threatening job security through increased use of outside contractors.

TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it is balloting all London Underground (Metronet) members covered by the Signals Framework Agreement for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over the imposition of new rosters, breaches of agreements and the handing over of work to external contractors.

The ballot for action, which closes on 19th January, will involve 750 staff on the former Metronet sections of the tube network – all lines except for the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee.

It seems as though a sensible decision has been made, as it was announced this week that Metronet will remain under the management of LUL. It's recent transition to LUL had been on a temporary basis but will now be ongoing. The Department for Transport has a press release on this issue:

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis and Mayor of London Boris Johnson today confirmed that the tube improvement contracts inherited by Transport for London (TFL) on an interim basis after Metronet’s collapse will remain permanently under the direct management of London Underground Ltd (LUL).

IMPORTANT ELECTION - TFL Pension Fund - Pensions Consultative Committee

RMT members are supporting Mark Harding and Linda Martin in this important election. Mark has sat on this committee for many years and needs your support. Linda is committed to defending your pension and will make an important contribution to this committee.

Please use both your votes

VOTE

Mark Harding X
Linda Martin X

PLEASE PLACE THE ATTACHED POSTER ON NOTICE BOARDS

Key media commentators are now accepting RMT’s calculation that the total financial black hole facing TfL/LUL is pushing £5 billion with 3000 jobs at risk. This week we exposed £60 million of maintenance cuts on former Metronet lines. We achieved widespread coverage for our case that these cuts are the tip of the iceberg with far worse to come if we don’t stand up and fight.

This letter is from Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary. Click '1 attachment' / file name to download it. Read the text below.

To All Probationers and Apprentices Employed by LUL - Our Ref : LUL/14/2 - 19th May 2009

Dear Colleague,

Current Dispute with London Underground.

As you know we are currently balloting all LUL members for strike action and action short of a strike over the company’s refusal to make a reasonable offer on pay, breaches of long standing agreements and their proposals to make up to 3000 staff redundant.

From RMT official circular IR.114/09, dated 1st April 2009

I am writing to advise you that the Union is holding a ballot for strike action and action short of a strike over a number of very important issues.