Finsbury Park branch

The result of Zak Khan’s twice postponed appeal was finally given at a meeting on Thursday 12th February: the company decided to re-employ Zak as a CSA at Waterloo station with a 52-week suspended dismissal still hanging over his head and to take away his licence. With the company still around 120 drivers over establishment across the combine this is a heavy financial punishment with little chance of him returning as a driver after 52 weeks. Also the slightest mistake on the stations within the next 52 weeks could see Zak thrown to the wolves again.

Arnos Grove driver, Zak Khan, harshly sacked last month after having a SPAD last October, has had his appeal decision deferred, not once, but twice. At his appeal hearing on 3rd February, Zak’s rep, Dean O’Hanlon, pointed out the many points which the original disciplinary panel skipped over, along with new evidence, and made a strong case for Zak’s reinstatement. Appeal Chairman, Nick Shaw, listened to the points made, before announcing that he was not going to make his decision immediately; the appeal would now be reconvened at 1530 on Friday 6th February.

The dastardly attacks on our cleaning grade activists by ISS, the largest of the cleaning companies, intensified throughout January. Mary Boakye, our dedicated rep at Northumberland Park depot, was wrongly sacked following an accident at work in October, reinstated and then sacked again at a hearing on December 9th. Mary had an appeal hearing at the ISS head office on January 8th. At the same time the secretary of the cleaning grades committee, Clara Osagiede, was facing a trumped up charge of going home early after representing a member.

Click on the attachment below to see the February 2009 edition of Monthly News:

Two recent ‘wrong-side door openings’ by drivers on the Victoria line have highlighted a potentially lethal anomaly concerning that line. Trains on all lines have a ‘correct side door enable’ (CSDE) system built in, a system which prevents drivers from accidentally opening train doors on the wrong side. All lines, that is, except the Vic! Yes, believe it or not, the Victoria line does NOT have CSDE, despite the potentially lethal consequences of a wrong-side door opening event. So how did this come to be?

X marks the spot!

Click on the attachment to see the January 2009 edition of Monthly News.

On 14 January, RMT members and supporters protested outside ISS headquarters to demand Mary's reinstatement.

Finsbury Park has submitted the following resolution to the January meeting of the Regional Council, but withdrew it during the debate.

In order to guarantee only members of the R.M.T. union are represented, the following procedure must be adhered to by all representatives (Reps) of the branch.

Step 1

When a member of staff approaches the local Rep requiring representation, the Rep first explains to the individual that they (the Rep) need to contact the R.M.T. head office membership department to ensure the individual is in benefit, and therefore, a member of the union.