Adverse Weather: Report on Talks with LUL Management

Submitted by Oliver New on 6 February, 2009 - 18:28

Steve Hedley and I buttonholed senior LU Managers today about their policy on the heavy snowfall last Monday. The radio and TV advised everyone not to travel and TfL cancelled the buses on safety grounds. Quite rightly so.

But now LUL managers have started deducting pay and leave from staff who couldn't get in. So they stop people getting in, then fine them! Has the left hand knowledge of what the right hand is up to?

Zak Khan's Appeal Decision Deferred

Submitted by plectrum on 6 February, 2009 - 14:19

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.

Justice for Mary - Justice for all our Cleaner Grade Members

Submitted by plectrum on 6 February, 2009 - 14:17

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.

Collective Grievance: Non-Attendance to Work due to Adverse Weather Conditions

Submitted by Janine on 5 February, 2009 - 12:58

The following collective grievance will be presented to LUL management tomorrow (Friday 6 February). To add your name to it, please contact Janine Booth either by email or by text to 07748-760261 TODAY (Thursday).

COLLECTIVE GRIEVANCE - NON-ATTENDANCE TO WORK DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

We the under-named submit this collective grievance arising from our inability to attend work on Monday 2 February due to adverse weather conditions.

Demonstrate Against LUL/TfL Job Cuts

TFL/LUL intend to cut 1,000 jobs. RMT is kicking off our fightback against this on Wednesday 11 February with a protest outside the building where both LUL management and many of the workers who may be affected are based.

We will be meeting outside St James Park tube station at 07:30 am to demonstrate outside 55 Broadway.

A leaflet advertising the protest is attached. Please download and distribute it.

Regional Organiser's Report: Urgent Protest Over Job Cuts, plus much more!

Submitted by Admin on 3 February, 2009 - 17:20

1. Thousands of job losses are being proposed by LUL/TfL. We are attending another meeting tomorrow to get more details. The RMT HAS A VERY CLEAR POSITION WE WILL CAMPAIGN AGAINST ALL JOB CUTS AND BALLOT OUR MEMBERS IF COMPULSORY REDUNDANCY IS FORCED ON PEOPLE.

In the meantime we are calling on you all to support a protest outside LUL HQ, 55 Broadway (ST James Park station) on Wednesday 11th February at 7.30am to demand that no jobs are cut.

2. We are meeting with Gerry Duffy to discuss levels of representation for drivers, SRT, service control, King's Cross station.

LUL's Guidance on Adverse Weather

Submitted by Janine on 3 February, 2009 - 14:57

Here is LUL's guidance for staff who couldn't get to work because of the snow.

Guidance for attendance for all Operational Staff in LU following the adverse weather conditions.

Employees are required to make every effort to get to their place of work and should always be encouraged to use every reasonable means to achieve this objective. It is their responsibility to get to work.

Bad weather underlines need for more rail staff and a unified railway network, says RMT

Submitted by Admin on 2 February, 2009 - 11:43

RMT press release, issued today

THE EXTREME weather that has played havoc with Britain’s transport system has underlined the failings of a fragmented rail network and the folly of the long-term reduction in the number of front-line staff, the country’s biggest rail union said today.

As staff struggled to maintain services in worsening weather conditions, RMT contrasted the commitment of front-line workers with train-operating companies that have chipped away at staffing levels since privatisation to boost profits.

RMT London Transport Regional Council - Recruitment and Retention Strategy 2009

Submitted by Janine on 2 February, 2009 - 10:05

This strategy was agreed at the January meeting of the Regional Council.

The recession makes union membership even more important for all ordinary people in Britain.

However many people are not aware of what a union is let alone the importance of a well-unionised workforce for pay, conditions and job security. Some non-members, particularly, may think union membership is an unnecessary expense. Active recruitment is now even more important than ever. It is in the interests of the whole workforce that RMT has the biggest possible membership