Despite the RMT agreeing a Pay Deal with LUL on the first of March, the company have still not implemented the increase and paid the appropriate amount of back pay.
In pure exasperation at the latest bulletin stating the implementation would be as late as June, the RMT have written the Senior Management stating that we want our money at the first pay run.
It is straight and easy….where’s our bloody money?
OFFICIAL CIRCULAR
TO ALL BRANCHES AND REPRESENTATIVES
ALL UNDERGROUND AND FORMER LT EMPLOYERS
4th April 2016 Circular No: IR/092/16
Dear Colleagues,
BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, DRIVERS, HAMMERSMITH & CITY LINE – LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/14/2)
Further to my previous Circular (IR/299/15, 4th December 2015), the Lead Officer advised that the issues affecting members on the Hammersmith & City Line include breaches of the attendance at work policy, an overbearing management team, refusal to release reps for meetings and misuse of the disciplinary policy. A dispute resolution meeting was arranged for Thursday 17th December where numerous problems were raised and assurances given by the line management team however, some of the actions which were promised to address the issues have not taken place and industrial relations have deteriorated as a result.
A further resolution has also been received from our Hammersmith & City Branch calling for a ballot of Train Operator members at Edgware Road for strike action and action short of a strike due to a breakdown in industrial relations and abuse of agreements.
The National Executive Committee has now taken the decision to advise the Company that we are now in dispute and arrange an immediate meeting with management and the relevant representatives and Branch Secretary. I am currently acting in accordance with this decision and will keep you advised of all further developments.
RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2015 – ISS (TUBE LINES AP JNP CONTRACT) (LUL/0001/ISS(TL))
Further to my previous Circular (IR/243/15, 13th October 2015), the Lead Officer has confirmed that the 2015 pay award included paying the London Living Wage, effective 1st April 2015, to all those members to whom it is applicable and other grades received a 3.2% backdated increase later in the year. The National Executive Committee has noted that the 2015 pay review is now concluded and will consider the 2016 pay review when there is an offer on the table.
Yours sincerely
Mick Cash
General Secretary
The RMT are taking the issue of pay back to LUL for our members in UKPN. We are concerned that LUL are paying less to these staff than the negotiated pay settlement and we will not let the matter rest until our members are satisfied with the outcome.
It would appear that LUL are stating that they will place these TUPE’d members on the second year of the pay rise ie RPI and not pay the differential for the 2015 agreements, where LUL are paying RPI plus £500 and the UKPN deal was RPI + 0.25%
The LUL negotiated settlement was front loaded to allow for years 2 and 3 of the settlement and therefore the expectation is that the TUPE’d members will get the difference for 2015 (Year 1)
LUL Company Council Submission Below:
LONDON UNDERGROUND COMPANY COUNCIL
Thursday 14th April 2016
SUBMISSION OF AGENDA ITEM
To the Secretary of the LU Company Council
| Agenda Item: | Title of issue
Rates of Pay and Conditions of Service 2015 – LUL- Former UK Power Networks Staff
|
| Submitted by: | RMT |
| Date: | 23 March 2016 |
| Issue/concern:
|
RMT is of the view that the 2015 pay settlement supersedes a precious agreement reached during a period when Electrical Generation & Distribution Staff where outsourced and employed by the above named company.
An agreement was reached for these employees in 2011 for a five year pay deal with 2015 being the 5th Year. This means their increase in 2015 is June RPI plus 0.25% which is less favourable than Year 1 (2015) of the LUL award, even though they were TUPEd back into LUL in 2013. RMT want the Year 1 LUL 2015 award applied to these employees. |
| Please indicate why you believe this item should be discussed at Company Council: | Application of General Pay Award
|
| Purpose of raising at Company Council: | For decision and conceding of RMT Claim |
| Additional Information: | Please include any relevant attachment or correspondence which could aid discussion of this issue |
| Estimated time required on agenda for this item: | 30 Mins |
Solidarity from LUEngineering Branch to the Drivers striking to stop Bullying on the Pic Line
From Last Week
Piccadilly line strike action rock solid
TUBE UNION RMT said that strike action by drivers on the Piccadilly Line is rock-solid this morning in a dispute over bullying and harassment of staff that has led to a complete breakdown in industrial relations. All services are currently suspended and will remain so throughout the rest of the day.
RMT says that responsibility for the strike, and the disruption to services, rests squarely with the LU management who have allowed a culture of bullying and harassment of staff to build up over a number of years on the line as drivers have been subjected to the abuse and misuse of disciplinary processes and left to take the rap for systemic failures with the aging Piccadilly Line fleet.
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary said:
“RMT congratulates our members for the rock-solid and determined support for today’s action. They are making a stand against bullying, the ripping up of procedures and in defence of the safety of staff and passengers alike.
“The blame for this action rests solely with the LU management who have walked away from numerous opportunities to resolve the issues at the heart of this dispute. It is time for LU on the Piccadilly Line to end the macho posturing and start talking seriously with our representatives.”
The following resolution will be discussed at the next LUEngineering Branch Meeting: Save Lilliebridge
Ballot of All RMT Members in Lillie Bridge Depot
Lillie Bridge Depot Closure and Breach of LU Company Council Agreement
Talks at LU Company Council aimed at averting a dispute were successful and ended in an agreement that the Beaumont Ave end of the depot would be opened up to allow works traffic in and out during the Lillie Rd development, and that LU/TfL would consult the RMT in good time as and when the TfL/Capco development plans progressed to affect the depot again.
Beginning this year notice has been given to our departments TDU, MIS TMD, MM, District Line Trains and Fleet, Plant Services at Lillie Bridge Depot that we are required to vacate the depot by 2019.
The time scales are very tight:
The Feasibility Study for the move to Acton Depot has to be done by May 2016 (1 month) the concept approval for what happens to all of us based in the depot is due to be completed in June 2016 (2 months)
We have had little only one consultation meeting despite raising the urgency of the situation at both the last LU Track & Signal Functional Council and LU Company Council, and no real progress has been made.
At this consultation meeting on 8th March 2016; it was agreed to hold a further consultation meeting before Easter 2016.
This has not happened and my reminders to LU in the intervening period were first ignored and then the consultation meeting refused despite my advice this would lead to a “failure to agree”.
RMT reps and members and this branch will not be satisfied until we have:
Ballot
Because LU are breaching the previous LU Company Council agreement to consult adequately in good time; and due to the extremely tight timescales we are now in dispute.
RMT LU Engineering Branch requires a ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike of all affected RMT members in members in TDU, MIS TMD, MM, District Line Trains and Fleet, Plant Services (TLL).
The livelihood and continued work of all affected RMT members is under a most severe threat due to London Mayor Boris Johnsons wish to wrap up the Capco/TfL luxury housing development deal for the super rich between Earls Crt, West Kensington and West Brompton ahead of the Mayoral election at the expense of local tenants, residents and the jobs of our RMT members affected by the accompanying demolition of Lillie Bridge Depot.
The RMT has spent years successfully defending our members at Lillie Bridge Depot which is one of if not the most solid RMT depot on London Underground.
We will resist this blatant attack with all forms of action necessary!
RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE & NIGHT RUNNING – LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/0001)
Further to my previous Circular (IR/0037/16, 18th February 2016), the referendum has concluded and the result is as follows:-
Question: Are you prepared to accept the Company’s offer?
Total Votes Cast… 3414
Number Voting ‘Yes’… 2879
Number Voting ‘No’… 532
Spoilt Papers… 3
This matter has been considered by the National Executive Committee and I have now informed the Company that their offer has been accepted by RMT members. I have asked that the pay increase, along with backdated monies, is paid to members at the earliest opportunity.
In line with the above, the long-running dispute situation with LUL over this matter is also now resolved and I wish to thank and congratulate all RMT members for the support and solidarity shown throughout. I will of course keep you advised of any further developments.
EVERY JOB MATTERS – DEFENDING JOBS ON LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/14/5)
Further to my previous Circular (IR/029/16, 5th February 2016), the new operating model in respect of Fit for the Future – Stations commenced on 7th February 2016 and I have received a resolution from our Central Line East Branch regarding this matter, which is as follows:-
“We note the following problems on the ‘vanguard groups’ (ie. those on which Fit for the Future – Stations has already been implemented) in our Branch’s area:
We therefore ask the Union to:-
RMT is committed to remaining vigilant to the consequences and any adverse impact that the implementation of Fit for the Future – Stations may have on members. The above resolution was sent for the attention of your RMT Lead Officer and the concerns raised by the Central Line East Branch are receiving attention. The National Executive Committee has noted that there are on-going negotiations at Company Council Sub-Group Level, that local station reps have been released to pass on information and that there is also a dedicated Stations Functional Council Rep who is giving specific support to the three vanguard groups.
SECTION 15 POSSESSIONS – LUL
Further to Head Office Circular NP/066/16, 17th February 2016 your National Executive Committee has once again considered a report of the Regional Organiser on talks with the company which are continuing. Management have taken account of RMT’s concerns and have agreed to our representatives’ suggestions for a safe system of accessing and exiting the track. Our representatives are now waiting on final documentation from the company and will be submitting a further report to the NEC.
In light of the positive nature of the discussions and as with their previous Decision the NEC have suspended industrial action planned for March 2016 and therefore members are instructed to book on as normal for shifts commencing between 06:30 and 18:29 on Sunday 6th March 2016, 06:30 Friday 25th March 2016 to 06:29 Saturday 26th March 2016 and 06:30 Sunday 27th March 2016 and 06:29 Monday 28th March 2016.
Industrial action called for the month of April, May and June will remain on.
In addition the instruction to take action short of a strike by doing no work of any kind in section 15 possessions and to take meal breaks as per the agreement has also been suspended.
I will keep you advised of all further developments.
BY STANDING FIRM TOGETHER YOU AND YOUR UNION HAVE MADE THE WORKPLACE SAFER
Following talks with LUL, the RMT have agreed to joint briefings with staff to find out how many people wish to change their shift patterns on the BCV Track areas. Some of these briefings have already occurred on the Central Line.
The purpose is purely and simply to obtain information and then work on a solution that will mean that there will be no business need to use Cleshars patrol staff. It is not about staff being compelled to work different shift patterns but a fact finding mission.
More briefings are occurring this week at Seven Sisters and Lambeth. Again this is only an expression of interest and for negotiation purposes only.
Further talks with management will then occur later in the week and then we will speak to our members and fully update them.
Talks have been continuing under the auspices of Acas and through a formal LUL investigation into incidents that have occurred within Possessions in General.
Your representatives have reported a far greater willingness to listen and are reporting progress in producing a safe system of work for our members.
However, there is still work to be done and a formal meeting will take place at Acas at the end of the week to see if full and final agreement has been reached
Section 15: Why the strike was suspended
Following extensive talks at Acas, the demands from your representatives were very clear and very basic, WE DO NOT WANT TO BE KILLED AT WORK
The Management Teams from LUL were left in no doubt how seriously we took this and that we firmly believe that Section 15 is the culmination of a casualisation of Track Access Safety to a point whereby our members remain in serious and imminent danger.
We left both companies with a stark choice, in our opinion, that was to either remove the possessions themselves or risk the RMT members doing it for them. We demanded that the Possessions were stopped and we agreed a safe system of work for our members.
After lengthy talks LUL agreed the following
The Engineering Terms of Reference are below:
To review and revise as appropriate:
We will now work very hard over the next two week to make sure our members are safe at work. If agreement is not reached then we will name strike action again.
ENGINEERING UNITY IS STRENGTH
LUL Letter Section 15 Suspension
LUL Track Patrolling: Strike Suspended
Following talks at and after Acas, your representatives made it clear that a line in the sand had been drawn and that as far as we was concerned that the training of Cleshars staff to undertake track patrolling was uneconomic, unnecessary and would not be tolerated by our members.
Whilst LUL reiterated their mantra that this was just a small number of staff and was only to fill in the gaps in staffing levels due to a particular roster issue once Night Tube was implemented, we did not accept that premise.
The reality is that these staff have been trained several months ago despite no date set for the introduction of Night Tube. We believe this is a strike breaking army being set up to undermine legal Industrial action and allow the last area of PWAY work to be opened up to external companies. Our mandate is clear and this situation cannot be tolerated.
However, in an effort to resolve this dispute, your representatives decided to put LUL under the microscope. If this is purely about a small roster issue, let’s resolve that, the Cleshar’s T001 staff can then be used to fill the vacancies across LUL.
To that end, we have agreed to further and more detailed roster talks regarding BCV to see if an acceptable solution can be negotiated whereby our members stay on the roster they wish and the outsourcing threat is removed. LUL also agreed to ‘suspend the training and assessment of non-permanent employees for track patrolling purposes for a period of two weeks’
If this fails then we will not hesitate to put on more strike action. In the meantime the action short of NO mentoring or assessing of Cleshars T001 staff remain lives from 06:30 Saturday 13th February
LUL Track Patrolling Dispute LEAFLET
SECTION 15 POSSESSIONS
Further to Head Office Circular NP/032/16, 28th January 2016, a report from the Regional Organiser and a letter from management with a proposal to resolve the dispute has been considered by the National Executive Committee. The NEC have adopted the following Decision:
Further to our Decision No.NWW of 28th January, we note the report from the Regional Organiser, and the letter from LUL on behalf of both LUL and Tubelines.
We accept the proposals from the management that they will suspend all Section 15 Possessions and return to the safe system of work from this Friday for two weeks. We note that further talks are planned.
We therefore suspend our instruction to members not to book on for shifts between 06:30 Friday 12th February 2016 and 06:29 on Saturday 13th February 2016.
We maintain our instruction to these members to take action short of a strike by doing no working of any kind in a section 15 Possession, and by taking meal breaks as per agreements.
We continue with the ballot for action of our Service Control Grades over the imposition of Section 15 Protection.
London Transport Regional Council and Branches to be advised. Members to be advised by text and e-mail.
I am acting on these instructions.