• Action commences at 16.00 hrs today (24TH April) when Tube Lines staff, including the Emergency Response Unit, will walk off the job.
• It is important to point out that the impact of the action will extend beyond 72 hours as the strike decision says that … “members are instructed to return to work for shifts starting after 16:00hrs on Friday 27 April 2012.” Due to the shift patterns this means that the action and its impact on services will last throughout Friday evening.
• There will be an RMT protest line in full effect outside Tube Lines HQ, 15 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, E14 4HD from 16.00 hrs today (24th April). Filming clearance has been granted and Asst General Secretary Pat Sikorski will be available for interview.
• RMT reps will be monitoring service and safety issues throughout and the press office will provide updates. If you want to be texted updates please contact Geoff Martin through g.martin@rmt.org.uk or 07831 465 103.
• A briefing document on the latest background to this dispute over fairness and equality for Tube Lines staff over pensions and passes is attached below.

ENDS

Geoff Martin
07831 465 103
0207 255 9146

NOTE:

RMT Representatives met with Tube lines Management last week at ACAS in an attempt to avoid industrial action starting Tuesday this week.

These talks ended in failure due to Tube Lines refusal to make any offer other than a joint working party to look at the issues of Pensions and Passes, but also to include Rosters and other issues which have nothing to do with this dispute.

The gap between the two parties were further widened due to a lack of clarity about who had the authority to address RMT issues and the conflicting statements regarding the reasons that Tube Lines could not agree to RMT demands as follows.

Extract from minutes of a Tube Lines Ad Hoc Company Council Meeting held on Thursday 19th January 2012.
John Edmonds (Tube Lines H R Business Partner) stated that with regards to pensions there is still uncertainty regarding the future ownership of Tube Lines so no offer or discussions on pensions can take place until after the Paralympics.
Lee Jones (Tube Lines Director of Operations) continued that the earliest will be October 2012 as decisions need to be made on how Tube Lines will be managed in the future. Issue is whether it becomes part of TFL or should it be sold to the Private Sector.

Extract from a letter sent to all Tube Lines Staff on March 20th 2012 from John Lamonte (Tube Lines Chief Executive).
As a publicly funded organisation, our finances and business plan for review period two (7 ½ years from mid-2010) have already been agreed and if we were to meet the demands of the RMT then we would have to find substantial savings from existing budgets, which are already stretched. The current economic climate, as we are all too aware, is not what it once was.

Statement passed verbally by ACAS Arbitrator from Tube Lines Management Team to RMT Representatives Thursday 19th April 2012.
We are unable to discuss pensions and passes with you as we (Tube Lines) have an agreement with the Government not to discuss any changes to Terms and Conditions which will significantly alter the value of the company (Tube Lines).

So RMT have been told three different things only one of which can be true.

1. Tube Lines will not know what is happening to them until October so we cannot talk about Pensions and Passes.
2. Tube Lines have plans in place for the next 6 years which do not include Pensions and Passes.
3. Tube Lines cannot offer Pensions and Passes as they have an agreement with the Government not to.

How could Tube Lines have expected to enter into meaningful negotiations with the RMT when they cannot even agree on the reasons why they will not offer staff Pensions and Passes. They would also seem not to know if they have the authority to discuss the RMT’s demands without the Governments permission.

So in reality did they have any intention of avoiding this dispute or was the meeting at ACAS just window dressing to show the real bosses at TFL that they had tried their best.