At yesterday's Joint Working Party meeting about job cuts, the unions raised some points about the process and received answers to questions we raised at the previous week's Company Council meeting. These issues are listed below. You will notice that in most cases, the company is not giving clear answers to the unions' questions, which reinforces RMT's view that it is not talking to us in good faith.
RMT London Transport Regional Council is holding a public meeting about London Underground job cuts on Wednesday the 31 March, 6 - 8pm, at Friends House, Euston Road - opposite Euston Station.
TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that they are preparing for a ballot of members for strike action and action short of a strike after London Underground failed to withdraw the threat of axing 800 staff.
“RMT has made it clear that we will not sit idly by while the Mayor, his transport officials and Tube Line’s drive down tube staffing levels to dangerously low levels. We gave LU and Tube Lines an opportunity to pull back from these cuts but they have decided to plough on leaving us with no option but to organise ballots.”
RMT Young Members’ AGM training Course - 2010
Aberdeen, Sunday 27th June – Friday 2nd July
Last year we held a very successful ‘AGM Course’ for our young members. Sixteen attended – the largest course of its kind that we have organised. Our improved organisation for young members was further reflected when 30 delegates attended the recent National Young Members Conference, in Liverpool.
We are now looking for young active members to train on our 2010 course which shall run in tandem with our AGM in Aberdeen. Members must be under 30 years of age at the start of the course.
Applications need to be submitted by the 30th April 2010
Click 'Read More' to read the rest of the circular and '1 Attachment' to download the circular and application form
Click '1 attachment' / file name to download this as a PDF.
First they came for the admin staff, and I did not take action because I am not admin staff
Then they came for the engineers, and I did not take action because I am not an engineer
Then they came for the station staff, and I did not take action because I do not work on stations
Then they came for service control, and I did not take action because I do not work in service control
Then they came for the revenue staff, and I did not take action because I am not an RCI
RMT at Brixton depot has produced a new newsletter for drivers. You can read the text below, or click '1 attachment'/file name to download and print it.
Sacking of Drivers
Over the past couple of months there have been several issues including London underground sacking drivers. We at Brixton have had two this year. One of the issues is a said 96% attendance standard. There is no such figure anywhere. If asked to sign any documents stating any attendance percentage targets, do not! Speak to your union rep.
Senior train operators will recall a time when LUL took their training seriously. With sole responsibility for several hundred passengers, often in inaccessible locations, it’s essential that a driver knows how to take remedial action to get a train moving should it become defective. Likewise, drivers need to know and understand the rules and regulations that help make the underground system operate safely.
Will all grades come together to fight job cuts on stations? It should not be seen as ‘will drivers support the station staff?’ but ‘will we support each other’? That’s the true meaning of solidarity: our own interests are best protected when we stand together. In order to achieve this a 'General Strike' of all grades should be put to the membership across the combine under a single heading of ‘job losses (particularly in operational grades) equals an unsafe tube’.
The cat is out of the bag. LUL have told the unions bluntly that they intend to slash as many as 800 operational jobs across the combine. Recent leaked documents have shown that these cuts are merely the tip of an iceberg which includes sub-surface stations having no more than minimum staff numbers, even during special events, and open section stations having no staff at all. This is a Company Plan with knobs on.
Read the March 2010 edition of Finsbury Park Monthly News by clicking on the attachment below.
In this edition:
1. Stop the cuts - it's time to fight or die. Editorial explains the truth behind LUL's latest jobs massacre and what we have to do to stop them.
2. All grades to defeat Stations job cuts. A plea to members of all grades to come together and fight for our futures.