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Willesden Green Group to ballot for Industrial action.

At a well attended meeting of the Neasden branch, RMT members from the Willesden Green group voiced their disgust and anger at the bullying, intimidation and complete lack of duty of care bestowed upon them by their GSM.

The GSM has shown consistently shown contempt for his staff and has overseen a regime of fear which has seen the sacking of staff with disabilities despite being fit for work, stopping sick pay at will, issuing warnings at Return to Work interviews,12 month attendance warnings for first offences, using dependants leave in attendance warnings, setting 96% attendance targets for staff, ignoring Discipline procedures, preventing union representation for staff, sending DSM's on unannounced home visits, ringing the door bells of staff neighbours and asking questions about their movements, threatening to stop pregnant staff their sick pay and the list goes on and on and on. He has also targeted the local reps and has been conducting a vicious campaign against them and their Trade Union activities. He refuses to discuss issues raised at Level 1 meetings, refuses to complete referral forums,falsifies level 1 meeting minutes and withholds the release of the minutes from reps.

This GSM is no stranger to this style of 'Management'. Train drivers at North Greenwich can testify to his methods and are fully aware of the lengths he will go to. For months local and Functional reps have tried to convince Employee Relations and senior managers that there was a breakdown in industrial relations but their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

RMT members were left with no choice but to request their Branch contact head office and arrange a ballot for industrial action on the group. The Branch voted unanimously in favour of industrial action with offers of support and solidarity from all grades both in the branch and at the south end of the Jubilee line.

The members on Willesden Green and Neasden Branch are not alone in this fight. What we are seeing at Willesden Green is a snapshot of what is going on across the combine: bullying, attendance and discipline clampdown, unfair sackings, breaking of agreements and ignoring the machinery of negotiation. The new Regional Organiser Steve Hedley was present and told members that the issues on the Willesden Green group are occurring in all areas and have the very real potential of escalating into an all-grades, combine-wide dispute.