Stratford No 1 Branch Minutes; 9th July 09

Submitted by Peter on 11 August, 2009 - 12:38

DRAFT COPY ONLY

Branch Minutes: Thursday 9th July 2009 Branch Secretary: Yvonne Duncan Branch Chair: Peter Heyes

Assistant Secretary: Dave Pitman, Vice Chair: Bill O’Dowd

contact or attend branch for full list of attendees.

Matters Arising from Previous Minutes; Add DP resigning from Ass Secretary. 23 ELL drivers are to leave Leytonstone, 5 are to stay at Leytonstone and 5 to re nominate. Leytonstone to lose 5 drivers off the Roster, a line reps meeting has been asked for.

Minutes moved – AF Seconded – MC

Young Members - Your Voice's Heard

Submitted by Adrian on 11 August, 2009 - 12:06

Calling all Young Members (anyone under 30!)

The National Young Members committee would like to know what problems young members face in the workplace, or if there are alot of young members in your workplace that are not in the union.

The Committee will be holding a meeting in September, and we would like to know what to focus on for the next six months, or any areas that need attention.

it's also not too late to submit resolutions to the Young Members Committee, Speak to your Branch Secretary for more information.

Drivers' Pay Awards

Submitted by Admin on 11 August, 2009 - 07:40

posterBelow is a list of 2009 pay awards for train drivers. This information certainly puts LUL's measly 1.5% - and even worse, 0.5% next year - into perspective!

A notice giving this information is attached - please download and circulate to all drivers.

  • Arriva Cross Country: 3.5%
  • Arriva Trains Wales: 4.75%
  • Chiltern Railways: 3.5%
  • DRS: 3.5%
  • DB Schenker: 4.06%
  • East Midlands Trains: 3.5%
  • Gatwick Express: 3.3%
  • GB Railfreight: 3.27%

What Pay Rises Are Other Workers Getting?

Submitted by Janine on 10 August, 2009 - 10:50

Our employers would have us believe that all other workers are having their pay cut or frozen, and so LUL and TfL's1.5% offer is generous by comparison. But have a look at these ...

  • Novartis Animal Health: 4.5% (effective 1 March 2009)
  • Grand Central: 4.08% (effective 1 April 2009)
  • Wyeth Pharmaceuticals: 4% (effective 1 January 2009)
  • Standard Life: 3.9% (effective 1 April 2009)
  • Scottish Water: 3.75% (effective 1 July 2009)
  • Department of Work and Pensions: average 3.6% (effective 1 July 2009)

Latest Inflation Figures Underline RMT's Case for a Better Pay Rise

Submitted by Admin on 10 August, 2009 - 10:42

As of July 2009, annual price inflation rates of particular products:

  • food: 5.6%
  • fuel and light: 9.6%
  • gas: 24%
  • coal and solid fuels: 21.9%

[government inflation figures]

In the year to June 2009, the prices of many essentials rose at a far higher rate than RPI inflation:

  • Coal & solid fuels up 21.9%
  • Fuel and light up 9.6%
  • Gas up 24.0%
  • Electricity up 6.8%
  • Water and other charges up 4.7%
  • Fares and other travel costs 5.5%
  • Bus and coach fares 7.3%
  • Other travel costs 4.8%
  • Food up 5.3%, with
    • tea up 10.3%

Training Workshop: Agreements

LUL Stations & Revenue Council reps Mick Crossey and Janine Booth will run a training workshop on Agreements - why they are important, and understanding what they say.

As we fight to defend our agreements from employers intent on ripping them up, it is essential that our reps and activists understand their importance. And in reps’ day-to-day work for members, you need to know how to work out what rights they give to your members.

Venue: Exmouth Arms, Starcross Street, near Euston

Minutes of Regional Council meeting, 30 July 2009

Submitted by Admin on 7 August, 2009 - 17:01

ATTENDANCE

  • Bakerloo branch -
  • Camden no.3 branch - Pat O'Brien, Clara Osagiede, Mick Crossey, John Reid, Garry Houghton, Joanne Prestwick, Chris Gryce, Paul Kennedy, Tony Gandolfi
  • Central Line West branch - Vaughan Thomas (meeting chair), Vik Parmar
  • DLR branch -
  • East Ham branch - Andy Izard, Gary Lazell, Clare Reilly, Chris Baillie

Support the Vestas Workers!

Submitted by Admin on 7 August, 2009 - 13:55

From Becky Crocker, Regional Young Members' officer

Dear London Transport region

On Monday 3rd August, I visited the Vestas factory on the Isle of Wight, which its workers have occupied to stop its closure and save their 600 jobs.

Vestas is the only factory in Britain making blades for wind turbines.

Wind power is part of the government’s strategy for switching to 15% renewable energy by 2020. But the private company Vestas have calculated they can make more money by moving their factory elsewhere: profit comes first and jobs and the environment second.