Agency workers

We note the appointment of Brother Hogg as lead officer for RMT members employed through Trainpeople.co.uk staffing agency.

We instruct the General Secretary to arrange a meeting at Unity House with the Assistant General Secretary, lead officer, General Grades Committee members and a nominated representative of each Regional Council to discuss the organisation of workers employed through Trainpeople.co.uk. A report of this meeting to be placed back in front of this General Grades Committee.

You can read the Agency Workers Regulations - which set out the legal rights of agency workers - here.

We believe that railway employers are increasingly using agencies such as Trainpeople, in order to casualise the workforce, prepare for job cuts, and undermine our power to take effective strike action. The use of agencies is part of the employers’ and government’s strategy for pursuing the McNulty proposals.

We believe that every railway worker is entitled to a permanent, secure job. We therefore demand an end to the use of agencies, with their employees offered direct employment with the railway company at which they work.

According to the TUC, the Swedish Derogation is: “an option written into the EU Temporary Agency Work Directive that allows member States to insert a provision into their transposing legislation that says that where an agency worker is directly employed by an agency they are not protected by the equal treatment provisions in the Directive. The UK Regulations, which come into force in October, make use of the “Swedish” derogation.

In June's edition:

• RMT Stands Up For Agency Staff on LU Stations
• Your Station and Revenue Grades Committee
• ICSAs: Vote ‘Yes’ for Safety and Job Security!
• Stick Within the Framework!
• Wheelchair Ramps
• Assisting Passengers With Luggage

If you are doing the same job as permanent staff then you have the right to join the RMT. A poster has been created by TfL branch for union noticeboards to get this message across to agency workers in the transport industry.

Reps - please print out and display on relevant noticeboards with you name and contact details.

Join the RMT and get protected.

You can join us and your colleagues by clicking here.

From RMT General Secretary Bob Crow

I have received reports that agency workers employed by Trainpeople.co.uk engaged on Grand Central Railways and London Underground’s Bakerloo Line contracts have not been paid for the second month running and have been excluded from the Agency Worker Regulations by Trainpeople.co.uk, who are using the Swedish derogation contract model to employ our members.

We note the issues raised by a member who works for the agency ‘Trainpeople’, the legal advice received, and that this employer argues that it is exempt from regulations concerning agency workers, as it is using the ‘Swedish Derogation Model’. We instruct the General Secretary to:

• provide our legal adviser with the further information requested, and place in front of us the further advice that will result
• provide full support to this member and others who are challenging the unacceptable practices of this and other agencies
  

RMT General Grades Committee decision:

We note the correspondence from our Bakerloo branch, and the report now received from our lead officer on talks with London Underground about the use of agency and security staff, at which our representatives pressed the company to replace the use of agency staff and security guards with permanent, directly-employed jobs on LU’s ex-Silverlink stations.

General Grades Committee decision:

We note the report from our Bakerloo branch with concern.

We do not accept the removal of station staff detrainment jobs as a result of the introduction of ‘inner car barriers’ on trains. We instruct the General Secretary to obtain a detailed report from our representatives on the current position in discussions with the company about this.