Author: Paul

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Retired Members Branch Meeting 3rd March 2020

The next meeting of the LT Retired Members Branch will be on Tuesday 3rd March at 14.00 in Unity House, 39 Chalton St NW1 1JD.

 

Our Guest speaker will be brand new LT Executive Member Jared Wood talking about the issues currently facing RMT on the Underground and LT.

 

We’ll also discuss retirement issues, and hear reports on a range of other issues including a report from the Branch members who took part in the recent on the Regional Recruitment Day.

 

Lesley is proposing that we join the RMT coach to the Tolpuddle Festival.  Dates of that and other events below.

 

Our Branch Membership Officer Kate has hit the ground running and will unveil the latest plans to increase the Branch membership using RMTs database.

 

I look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday.

 

All the best,

Olly New

Branch Secretary

 

Coming Up in 2020

 

8 March International Womens Day, Ealing Trades Council event

1 May London May Day March

10 June RMT Cuba Solidarity Garden Party, Clapham

4th July  Women Chainmakers festival, near Birmingham

11 July Durham Miners Gala19 July Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival, Dorset (from Friday 17th for the full festival)

6 September Burston Strike School Rally, Norfolk

12 September Wigan Diggers Festival

 

Our Branch Meetings

 Tuesday 3rd March from 14.00 to 16.00

Tuesday 5th May from 14.00 to 16.00

Tuesday 7th July from 14.00 to 16.00

Tuesday 1st September from 14.00 to 16.00

Tuesday 3rd November from 14.00 to 16.00

All in Unity House, 39 Chalton Street  NW1 1JD.

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London Transport Regional Council

The London Transport Regional Council meets tonight at the Indian YMCA, nearest station Warren Street, from 4pm. 

 

Our meeting will be followed by a Trade Union Rally, chaired by RMT President Michelle Rogers and feature speakers from French Rail Union, CGT Versailles, RMT AGS Steve Hedley, and includes other Trade Union’s in dispute; UCU,UVW amongst others.

 

Hope you’re able to make both events.

 

Fraternally yours,

 

Glen Hart
London Transport Regional Council Secretary

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RMT welcomes Labour Assembly Members’ support for Underground cleaners

RMT welcomes Labour Assembly Members’ support for Underground cleaners
 
Pressure is growing on London’s Labour Mayor to commit to ending the privatisation of Underground cleaning as RMT received a statement of support from the Labour Group in the London Assembly.
 
The statement from Len Duvall AM, leader of the Labour Group, pledges the Labour AMs’ support for ‘action to secure better working conditions and job security for cleaners on the London Underground, as well as making the case for bringing cleaners in-house as a viable option for a new contract in 2022’.
 
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said,
 
“It’s good news that London’s Labour movement is uniting around this campaign.
 
“These cleaners are unsung heroes of the Underground and it’s a disgrace that they’ve been privatised on the basis that they are supposedly ‘non-core’.
 
“The truth is that they’re central to a clean and safe passenger experience. I hope Sadiq Khan is listening and I repeat my call on him to commit to bringing these workers in house.”
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LUL Pay Branch Survey

Dear ALL

 

This is just to update you all that the branch carried out a survey on the two LUL pay offers. It is now closed.

 

This survey was to help our negotiators understand better what our members want and that our members are streadfastly determined to fight to better their terms and conditions. To that end, we won’t reveal the survey votes at this time to ensure that we negotiate the best deal for you. However, I can confirm the replies was overwhelming and extremely strong.

 

Under the law, should we ballot we must reach certain thresholds and in just 8 hours, we recieved over 600 completed replied.

 

We do recognise that survey’s such as this, and others are not the only way to reach and interact with our members but it is a useful tool to contact you all fast.

 

Please continue to feedback your views to our reps and come to the branch.

 

If you did not recieve a messgae, it was ONLY sent to members of the LUEngineering Branch working for LUL.

 

But also please check that your contact details are correct by logging in at:

 

 

www.rmt.org.uk

 

 

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New Inflation rates for year to December 2019

New Inflation rates for year to December 2019
 
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have published inflation rates for the year to December 2019. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) was 2.2%, unchanged on the year from November 2019. The alternative measure of CPI was down from 1.5% to 1.3% while CPIH was down from 1.5% to 1.4%.
 
Your union’s policy is to use the RPI rate for all pay negotiations. Should an employer attempt to use alternative inflation measures during pay talks, please inform the National Policy department as soon as possible.
 
I would be grateful if you could bring the content of this circular to the attention of all members in your Branch.
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RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2019-22 LONDON UNDERGROUND LTD

RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2019-22
LONDON UNDERGROUND LTD
 
Please find attached an amended pay offer from the LUL Director of Assets Operations following the meeting held under the auspices of ACAS on 19th December 2019.
 
You are now asked to attend a meeting with myself and your National Executive Committee member to consider and discuss this amended offer which will take place on Monday 20th January at 13.00 hours in Unity House.
 
A request for release has been made for those of you not already on full-time release but at this time I do not know if LUL have agreed to this so please be prepared to make your own arrangements to attend if needs be.
 
Your National Executive Committee member, Jared Wood, and I look forward to seeing you in attendance. Best wishes until then.
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General Election Result 2019

Sadly, the Tory party have won the general election with a clear majority.

 

Key to this was Jeremy Corbyn and others within the Labour party leadership misunderstanding the millions of working class people who felt betrayed by all the main parties, who suffered years of austerity, who expressed this rage in the Brexit vote, and now in this general election.

 

The RMT, and the rest of the trade union movement, must prepare for the coming period of struggles and anti union attacks from this government.

 

The fightback begins today.

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Stopping the bullies.

Stopping the Bullies

 

There is no such thing as an innocent bystander and if you have seen someone being bullied you should take action.

 

Ignoring it may feel like the easiest thing to do but the person who is being subjected to that bullying may need your help and support to get it stopped.

 

It may not be you this time but a world that turns away ends up blinded

 

 

Speak to the person being bullied and challenge the bully.

 

Speak to your RMT representative and let us change behaviours together.

 

 

RMT Mutual Respect Policy

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What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying

 

Social networking sites, messaging apps, gaming sites and chat rooms such as Facebook, XBox Live, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and other chat rooms can be great fun and a positive experience.

 

But things can go wrong.

 

Cyberbullying can be defined as the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm others.

 

 

Typically cyberbullying involves the use of the Internet, email or mobile phones to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. In many cases, the spreading of offensive jokes or shocking or sexual material via phone or email may also constitute cyber-harassment.

 

Cyber bullying is rife on the internet and most young people will experience it or see it at some time. In a recent national bullying survey, 56% of young people said they have seen others be bullied online and 42% have felt unsafe online.

 

Cyber bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it can go viral very fast.

 

Definitions:

 

A Troll is a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the troll’s amusement or a specific gain

 

Types of cyberbullying:

 

There are many ways of bullying someone online and for some it can take shape in more ways than one. Some of the types of cyber bullying are:

 

Harassment – This is the act of sending offensive, rude, and insulting messages and being abusive. Nasty or humiliating comments on posts, photos and in chat rooms..

 

Denigration – This is when someone may send information about another person that is fake, damaging and untrue. Sharing photos of someone for the purpose to ridicule, spreading fake rumours and gossip. This can be on any site online or on apps. We even hear about people altering photos of others and posting in online for the purpose of bullying.

 

Flaming – This is when someone is purposely using really extreme and offensive language and getting into online arguments and fights. They do this to cause reactions and enjoy the fact it causes someone to get distressed.

 

Impersonation – This is when someone will hack into someone’s email or social networking account and use the person’s online identity to send or post vicious or embarrassing material to/about others. The making up of fake profiles on social network sites, apps and online are common place and it can be really difficult to get them closed down.

 

Outing and Trickery – This is when someone may share personal information about another or trick someone into revealing secrets and forward it to others. They may also do this with private images and videos too.

 

Cyber Stalking – This is the act of repeatedly sending messages that include threats of harm, harassment, intimidating messages, or engaging in other online activities that make a person afraid for his or her safety. The actions may be illegal too depending on what they are doing.

 

Exclusion – This is when others intentionally leave someone out of a group such as group messages, online apps, gaming sites and other online engagement. This is also a form of social bullying and a very common. 

 

Bullying by spreading rumours and gossip

 

The worst thing about social networking sites and messaging apps is that anything nasty posted about you can be seen by lots of people and these posts can go viral very fast and be shared by so many people within minutes in some cases.

 

Posting false and malicious things about people on the internet can be classed as harassment.

 

Threatening behaviour

 

Anyone who makes threats to you on the internet could be committing a criminal offence. It’s against the law in the UK to use the phone system, which includes the internet, to cause alarm or distress. It could also be against the 1997 Harassment Act.

 

If threats are made against you then it’s essential you confide in  someone you trust so that they can make a complaint.

 

If you can’t print out the threats use the “print screen” button or snipping tool to take a snapshot of the computer screen and then save that somewhere safe. Or if you have a phone or tablet, use the screenshot function and keep these images safe.

 

Tips and advice 

 

  1. If you post abuse about anyone else online or if you send threats, you can be traced by the authorities. Every time you visit a website or make a posting, your internet service provider, Sky, BT or Virgin, has an electronic note of your activity. Even if you create an anonymous email address like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, you can still be traced. Also, speak to your trade union representative who can support you through this period.
  2. Keep safe by using unusual passwords. Use a combination of letters, lowercase, uppercase, symbols and numbers. Don’t use any part of your name or email address and don’t use your birth date either because that’s easy for people who know you to guess. Don’t let anyone see you signing in and if they do, change the password as soon as you can.
  3. If you are using a public computer such as one in a library, computer shop, or even a shared family computer, be sure to sign out of any web service you are using before leaving the computer so that you can protect your privacy.
  4. Being bullied online can affect someone enormously. Being bullied can impact on a person’s self-esteem, confidence and social skills. Try to consider the impact your words may have and think twice before posting.

 

 

RMT Mutual Respect Policy

 

 

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What is Bullying & Harassment?

Definition of Bullying

 

Bullying is a form of psychological abuse that can have a very serious impact, including the effect of making the victim feel demeaned and inadequate.

 

Bullying can be defined as: unwanted conduct that is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting to the recipient. Bullying can also take the form of an abuse or misuse of power, which has the purpose, or can have the effect of, intimidating, belittling and humiliating the recipient.

 

Bullying may be a course of conduct/repetitive behavior (but does not need to be).

 

Any of these behaviours could lead to loss of self-esteem for the victim and ultimately the self-questioning of their worth.

 

It is the perception of the recipient that determines whether any particular behaviour may reasonably be viewed as bullying.

 

Examples of Bullying

 

Examples of bullying include:

  1. shouting or swearing at someone
  2. ignoring or deliberately excluding a person
  3. persecution through threats and instilling fear
  4. spreading malicious rumours
  5. constantly undervaluing effort
  6. dispensing disciplinary action which is unjustified
  7. spontaneous rages, shouting or raised voice

Examples of less obvious bullying include:

 

  1. deliberately withholding information or supplying incorrect information
  2. deliberately sabotaging or impeding performance
  3. constantly changing targets / expectations without good reason
  4. setting an individual up to fail by imposing impossible deadlines or unrealistic requests
  5. removing areas of responsibility and imposing menial tasks
  6. blocking applications for holiday, promotion, or training
  7. that which is directed from a subordinate to a line manager

These examples listed are not exhaustive.

 

 

Definition of Harassment

 

Harassment is unwanted conduct that intentionally or unintentionally violates a person’s dignity, or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for the individual.

 

Each person has the right to decide what behaviour is either acceptable or unacceptable; if an individual finds certain behaviour unacceptable and they feel damaged by it, then that individual has every right to say so, and their right to do so will be respected. It is irrelevant whether the person who perpetrated the behaviour intended to cause offence.

 

People can be subjected to harassment on a wide variety of grounds.

 

These include:

 

  1. sex or gender
  2. sexual orientation
  3. transgender status
  4. marital or civil partnership status
  5. pregnancy or maternity leave
  6. race, nationality, ethnic origin, national origin or skin colour
  7. disability
  8. age
  9. employment status, e.g. part-time, fixed-term, permanent, self-employed, agency worker, casual worker, contractor, consultant or volunteer etc.
  10. membership or non-membership of a trade union
  11. the carrying out of health and safety duties
  12. religious or political beliefs
  13. deeply held personal beliefs
  14. criminal record
  15. health, e.g. AIDS/HIV sufferers, etc.
  16. physical characteristics
  17. willingness to challenge harassment — being ridiculed or victimised for raising a complaint

Harassment is normally characterised by more than one incident of unacceptable behaviour, particularly if it recurs once it has been made clear that it is regarded by the victim as offensive. However, a single incident may constitute harassment if it is sufficiently serious.

 

Harassment at work is not only despicable and demeaning, but may also be unlawful. For example, under the UK’s Equality Act 2010, or the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 in the Republic of Ireland. The UK Act protects individuals who have, are perceived to have or who are associated with someone who has particular characteristics.

 

Any directors or managers of employees who fail to take steps to prevent harassment or investigate complaints, may be held liable for their unlawful actions and could be required to pay compensation to the victim, as may the individual who has committed the act of harassment. Awards for injury to feelings go up to £30,000 and, in exceptional cases, may exceed this. The award to compensate an individual for loss of employment as a result of harassment is uncapped.

 

Harassment on any grounds may also be a criminal offence.

This means that in some cases, harassment could become a police matter.

 

Examples of Harassment

 

Harassment takes many forms — from relatively mild banter to physical violence. Employees and volunteers may not always realise that their behaviour constitutes harassment, but they must recognise that what is acceptable to one employee or volunteer may not be acceptable to another – determining what is acceptable is an individual right that must be respected.

 

Examples of harassment include (but are not restricted to):

 

  1. verbal harassment — examples include crude language, offensive jokes, suggestive or offensive remarks, innuendoes, rude or vulgar comments, malicious gossip and offensive songs related to any of the protected characteristics (e.g. sex, race, religion, etc.)
  2. non-verbal harassment — examples include wolf-whistles, obscene gestures, sexually suggestive posters / calendars, pornographic material (both paper-based and generated on a computer, including offensive screensavers), graffiti, offensive letters, offensive e-mails, text messages on mobile phones and offensive objects
  3. physical harassment — examples include unnecessary and unwanted touching, patting, pinching, or brushing against another employee’s body, assault and physical coercion
  4. pressure for sexual favours (e.g. to get a job or promotion) or victimisation on account of the rejection of such pressure
  5. isolation or non-co-operation and exclusion from social activities for a reason related to sex, race, religion, etc.

 

Click here>> RMT Mutual Respect Policy

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AGS Cleaning Contract

The RMT have learnt that the Track Cleaning Contract with AGS has been given to another company.

 

We are making urgent contact with all companies to explore whether TUPE applies and ensure that our members job security and terms and conditions and maintained or enhanced.

 

We also have concerns that the track need to be maintained to a good standard to reduce fire risk and enhance air quality and we will be ensuring that there is no reduction in the standard of service provided

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