London Underground Ltd

From RMT Circular No. IR 283, November 27 2008

Dear Colleagues,

LUL ATTENDANCE POLICY

Examples of Management ignoring or twisting clear policies in relation to attendance have recently been brought to my attention.

We have made it clear that we expect Management to abide by their own policies and have listed a series of serious instances where management seem to have flagrantly breeched the rules. It is unacceptable that policies are ignored and all members should be advised of the seriousness of this matter, which could lead to a major dispute.

By Glenroy Watson, Finsbury Park branch Chairperson

Welcome to the 2008 Annual Report of one of the biggest and most active branches on London Underground, if not the whole RMT union.

RMT press release, issued today

ANY THREAT of forced redundancies of RMT members at TfL and London Underground will be resisted, the capital’s biggest tube and rail union said today.

The union today said it was alarmed by today’s announcement that “hundreds” of jobs could be lost across TfL as part of a drive to find £2.4 billion in “efficiency savings.

“TfL has made vague statements about the need to reduce headcount across TfL and that can only cause alarm among our members,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

From the Bakerloo branch newsletter

Capitalism is in crisis: world markets collapse, banks are part nationalised and the government bails out big business to the tune of billions of pounds. Naturally the talk in the mess room is "what's happening with the pay negotiations?"

It is entirely rational that workers on the tube want to safeguard our livelihood during this time. Many workers will be mortgaged up to the eyeballs and seeing their homes sink into negative equity on a daily basis.

But will London's tube workers be treated as favourably as London's bankers?

RMT press release, issued today

LONDON UNDERGROUND’S biggest union RMT today welcomed plans to transfer the workforce at failed public-private partnership company Metronet back to LUL.

In a letter to RMT general secretary Bob Crow, Metronet Rail chief executive Andie Harper confirmed that a consultation over the TUPE transfer will soon be underway and that he hoped the process would be completed by December.

“RMT has been pressing for this measure all along and welcomes Metronet Rail’s move as a victory for common sense,” Bob Crow said today.

The highest-paid director’s earnings:

• London Underground £522,123 (2007)
• Metronet £212,947 (2006/7)
• DLR £136,833 (2007/8)
• CBS Outdoor £477,000 (2006)

TfL’s Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy’s salary: £320,000 + up to 50% bonus (2006)

Tube Lines: 15 Directors, average salary £660,000+ (2007)

by Steve Hedley, RMT Regional Council Secretary

An all-grades, all-companies ballot is essential if we want to stop sackings, harassment, victimisation and bullying. The very future of the union is at stake.

It doesn’t matter if you are a driver, station staff, controller, cleaner or engineer, you will know someone who has been harassed back to work when sick, been sacked for attendance or suspended for carrying out union activities.

by Jared Wood, RMT rep, Rickmansworth group

We remain in dispute over the enforced transfer of five CSAs from Rickmansworth group.

RMT’s strike action was extremely well supported. 70% of turns did not book on; 25 members picketed. Several TSSA members and even non-union staff observed the strike.

LUL is picking local disputes with station staff in an attempt to demoralise us by facing these down. At some point they will attempt a major cut in station staff numbers. This must not be allowed to happen.

The following is a report of the organisational conference on 29 August requested by branches and facilitated by the Region.

The day began with a general assessment of some recent disputes, including those involving TfL, Metronet, Tubelines, and the fight against Casualisation within LUL, with a view to establishing what the union did well and where it did badly.

Positives

If you have a medical appointment, how should you and your manager deal with it?

• You are supposed to arrange the appointment outside your working hours if possible. But the company accepts that it is not always possible.
• If the appointment takes you out of only part of your shift, you should get paid special leave.
• If the appointment takes you out of your whole shift and you have not been able to arrange cover, you may have to take annual leave; if that’s not possible (eg. if you have run out of annual leave entitlement), you should get paid special leave.