COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES REPORT JOHN REID 27/08/15

RESOLUTION PASSED AT GGC 24/08/15
“We note the report from the Lead Officer that due to our continuing industrial action significant progress has been made in the talks.

As a result we instruct the General Secretary to suspend all current action of Station Staff.

However, we further instruct the General Secretary to inform London Underground that until our reasonable and just demands are met we will remain in dispute and we will take further strike action on the 8th September 2015 and the 10th September 2015.

We instruct the General Secretary to organise a rally for our members and for the other LU Trade Unions. Despite the propaganda of the press the vast majority of working class Londoners and trade unionists have solidly supported our strike.

We instruct the General Secretary to place the matter back before the GGC on the 1st September.

The fact that we kept the action on until the last moment, along with Tssa and UNITE, meant that we made significant progress despite Aslef pulling out of the action and the talks. All of our negotiating team agreed to suspend as did the other two Unions. It is only a suspension for two weeks we have put action on for the 8 and 10 September and will take action if there is any attempt to impose night tube or carry out test trains for Night Tube. That week in September is a very busy week as regard passenger numbers. The Evening Standard has attacked our strategy, they and the bosses know that unless our outstanding reasonable demands are met we can and will stop London for a week. The majority of working class Londoners and Trade Unionists support us.

This will be a long battle against austerity, with so far only a fraction of the cuts being implemented. The latest crisis in the World Markets will no doubt impact on our class. We will continue to adopt our strategy based on the interests of our members in all grades. Our principles are immovable but we will adopt tactics to win the dispute. We have so far delivered unprecedented action that has won us some concessions. If management do not use the two weeks to meet our remaining just demands we will once again bring The Capital to a standstill.

At present all the Unions have committed their support to the action on the 8th and 10th.
RALLY MONDAY 7th September CAMDEN CENTRE 1800 Hours

DLR
We have had another 48 hours of strike action involving our members working for Interserve .

CITY CRUISES
There will be strike action on the 4/5 September.

PICCADILLY LINE
It was agreed to ballot our members, re the disciplining of members and reduction in training of Train Ops etc.

TUBELINES
A ballot of members will shortly be under way.

INTERSERVE
The GGC met with reps and will be discussing a strategy to combat attacks on reps and members, job cuts and will re-draft a Cleaners Charter.

DONATIONS
£108 has been donated to TUSC By me since the last meeting. I have also paid £200 to the Regions funds re the two strike days.

ACTION AND TACTICS VINDICATED
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary

“RMT welcomes this move which is what we have been calling for ever since we went into dispute over the Night Tube issue. We warned repeatedly that it would be dangerous and foolish to press ahead with bodged Night Tube plans until the very basics in terms of staffing and safety had been agreed with the unions through the long-established frameworks.

“This move by TFL proves that our members were right to strike and were right to warn the public about the consequences of the mad rush to introduce the Mayor’s Night Tube plans without agreement. The fact that the plans have now been suspended indefinitely to some vague date “in the autumn” is clearly a massive embarrassment to both Boris Johnson and George Osborne but gives us an opportunity to now get the basics that should have been sorted months ago worked out through direct negotiation.

“In the meantime, our action scheduled for early September remains on.”