Transport for London

RAIL UNION RMT warned today that the Government could be preparing an action replay of the Thameslink stitch-up of Bombardier over the Crossrail contract as it emerged that Transport Secretary Justine Greening has sabotaged a plan that would have potentially saved train building in the nation that gave the railways to the world.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Despite the long public row over the Thameslink stitch- up, and the threat to over 10,000 jobs at Bombardier in Derby and in the supply chain, reports today suggest that the Government are planning an action replay over Crossrail in a move that would kill UK train building once and for all.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we welcome the report from our Regional Organiser that the employer has confirmed that it has adhered to TUPE, and will confirm this in writing.

In accordance with our Regional Organiser’s request, we instruct the General Secretary to write to Martin Boots at TfL asking him for the details of travel facilities available to staff on Crossrail, Sodexo, security companies, cleaners, taxi drivers, dial-a-ride and any other contractors or sub-contractors working under the auspices of TfL.

The reply is to be placed in front of us.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the correspondence from London Underground and the report from our Regional Organiser.

Transport for London is to run a series of events for staff which they state “will explain our vision, strategy and future priorities for TfL and our operational business”. These events will involve staff in London Underground and other parts of TfL.

Update: London Underground has revised its offer to four years: 5% this year, RPI+0.5% (minimum 2%) for years 2, 3 and 4.

RMT workplace representatives will be discussing this at a meeting on Tuesday 4 October.You work hard, your employer makes money from your efforts, and you have bills to pay. So your union organises members to win better pay and working conditions. RMT aims to achieve:

• above-inflation pay rises - anything else is a pay cut in real terms, as your outgoings increase faster than your income;

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Regional Organiser. As staff transfer from the employment of London Underground Ltd to TfL, management are refusing to accept that policies and procedures transfer with them under TUPE. This will lead to a weakening of our members’ rights, exactly the situation that the TUPE regulations purport to prevent.

While our employers expect us to accept pay "rises" that are in some cases below inflation, and in others just fractionally above, here is what TfL, London Underground and Crossrail bosses are "earning" (Total remuneration excluding pension contributions, 2010/11) :

• Peter Hendy, Commissioner: £332,276
• Steve Allen, Managing Director, Finance: £268,982
• Mike Brown, Managing Director, London Underground: £285,230
• Howard Carter, General Counsel: £219,156
• Leon Daniels, Managing Director, Surface Transport: £97,000
  

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the agreement from Transport for London that staff recently transferred from London Underground will receive the same pay award as other TfL employees, receiving a rise of between 6% and 7.5%. We endorse our Regional Organiser’s recommendation that we accept this.

This offer underlines the inadequacy of other pay offers in companies either owned or contracted/franchised by TfL, such as London Underground and Alstom Metro Trains.

We therefore instruct the General Secretary to:

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the legal advice regarding the problems that our Regional Organiser has experienced in obtaining information about this transfer. As recommended by our legal advisor, we instruct the General Secretary to make a formal request for disclosure of the minutes of all relevant meetings leading up to transfer. We also instruct the General Secretary to obtain from the Regional Organiser a report of any outstanding issues about which our members feel aggrieved.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

The General Secretary is instructed to get a report from the Regional Organiser on the up to date position on the negotiations on LUL/TFL and all other companies working under auspices of TFL.

We change the file to now read TFL instead of LUL and we put Serco Docklands file on this main file.

TfL's Restructuring and Staff Reductions Policy is attached. Click here to read RMT's view on this.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note that our members have faced stealth increases in charges for family members who have privilege travel entitlements, and note our previous decision to raise this issue with management in order to secure the return of previous arrangements.

We note the report from our Regional Organiser and accept his recommendation that this issue be included in our pay and conditions claim to TfL in 2012. We instruct the General Secretary to ensure that this happens.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we endorse the report of our Regional Organiser.

Branches will be aware that we are now in the third year of TFL’s three-year pay settlement. We agreed for this year that increase for the ‘Achieved’ rating would be February RPI + 0.5%. The February RPI figure has now been confirmed as 5.5%. Therefore for those who receive the ‘Achieved’ rating, the award is 6% effective as of 1st April 2011, which is payable in July 2011. This applies to members who working in TFL Corporate, Surface Transport and Rail for London Limited who are in Pay bands 1-3, as well as those who TUPED into TFL from other organisations.

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Regional Organiser on the ‘Restructuring and Staff Reductions Policy’.

General Grades Committee decision:

That we welcome the decision of TfL last year to bring the London Tramlink Infrastructure Maintenance Services back inhouse, and thus back into the public sector.

However, we are disappointed at the long delay in obtaining details of this, caused by the lack of

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

That we note the report from our Regional Organiser. We oppose TfL’s attempt to streamline its OCP policy in order to make it easier to make redundancies due to funding cuts.

We note that all unions have agreed to reject management’s proposal to deal with this at a joint meeting at Company Council level, and instruct the General Secretary to write to TfL/LUL accordingly; the reply to be placed in front of us.

RMT TfL No.1 Branch will be highlighting Climate Week by holding a competition for both ‘New’ members joining in this week and ‘Existing’ members who are already signed up.

If ‘Existing’ members go online to
https://membership.rmt.org.uk/services/p_wwv_rmt_logon and correct, or update their contact and work details they will be entered into a Prize Draw to win a Solar MP3/Phone Charger.

Any staff members who sign up to RMT will also be entered into a separate Prize Draw to win another Solar MP3/Phone Charger.

TfL have accepted Wonga.com as sponsors of free travel on New Year's Eve.

Wonga is a 'pay day loan' company with a typical APR of 2689%. If you were to borrow a fiver from them for one day - enough to cover a single journey on the tube, you'd owe them £10.60.

For many Londoner's, these loans may seem to be the only way to access funds, more so as decent jobs are cut and employee rights eroded following the ConDem goverments and bosses attacks on working class people - as can be seen at LU where 800 positions will be cut.

Transport For London's commissioner Peter Hendy was recently interviewed by Dave Hill for The Guardian.

In the interview Hendy says that TFL will be facing cuts in its budget of 21% over the next few years. Future job losses are discussed with Hendy foreseeing that "The other thing you take a hit on is the cost of running the place. We will be doing less in some areas, so we will need less people to do it"