Category: LUL

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Tube Lines Passes and Pensions

Victory on Tube Lines (and former TLL) regarding Travel

 

After very lengthy discussions on Tube Lines, LUL have made the following statement regarding the 75% Point to Point Network Rail Travel:

‘In acknowledgement of the significant progress that has been made and all parties’ commitment to continue to seek a mutually acceptable resolution, I can confirm TfL’s agreement to extend existing TfL travel benefits to the relevant TLL and former TLL employees. As we discussed, there may be some system related issues which will dictate the time frame for implementation, and I will confirm this as soon as possible.’

 

Negotiators are pleased that LUL are moving on the issue of equal travel  and the offer will now go in front of our General Grades Committee for ratification

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Tube Lines Passes, Pensions and TUPE

Dear ALL,

 

We met with LUL/ Tubelines today ref APD job losses & TLL Passes+Pensions. LUL have demanded a no strike deal which is a massive u turn by them on the previous accepted agreement discussed at the reps meeting

 

This is rejected

 

We have now demanded NR Point to Point travel for TLL & withdrawal of no strike wording which they will respond asap

 

Further talks planned in 2 weeks. More details at the next branch meeting on 7th April

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Right to Representation (ex-Metronet AREAS)

The Right to Representation at all Factfindings was agreed by LUL (for ex-Metronet AREAS)  in talks at Acas. So do not let LUL take that right away

Metronet Grades Dispute – ACAS Resolution (3)

 

 

Dear Brian,

 

Former Metronet Grades Dispute

 

I am writing further to our recent productive ACAS discussions regarding the above mentioned issue. At the conclusion of the meeting at ACAS on 4 September 2014 the management team undertook to set out in writing the proposals for the resolution of the dispute.

 

As you will recall, eight issues were initially raised in the RMT’s letter of 14 November 2013, and so I will deal with the issues in the order that they appear in that letter.

 

 

Representation at fact findings:

It is agreed that that staff engaged in those operational activities formerly undertaken by Metronet will continue to retain the right to be accompanied by a trade union representative or workplace colleague at fact find interviews (including disciplinary, harassment and bullying and grievance interviews), subject to any subsequent implementation of discipline, harassment and bullying or grievance policies agreed with the RMT.

 

 

Night Worker Issues:

Based on trade union feedback, management has already taken steps to introduce night appointments for age medicals and intends to roll out further general night clinics. Management will not (other than where it is necessary to avoid an operational emergency), place individuals on courses on a Monday (for Monday to Friday Staff). The only exception shall be courses of greater than four days duration. For clarity, in order to comply with rest requirements, night staff attending meetings or appointments on days will be entitled to be released for the shift prior to and following the meeting or appointment, but will be required to work the relevant day shift, subject to the work allocated complying with their terms and conditions of employment.

 

 

Functional and Tier 2 Issues:

Management agrees to hold meetings with the relevant Functional and Tier 2 representatives to identify any outstanding issues and agree timescales for their resolution. This meeting shall also consider lessons learned in order to avoid such situations arising in the future. These meetings shall look to agree timescales for resolution of all outstanding issues within six weeks.

 

 

Train-borne Signalling:

Management and RMT agree that further ACAS led discussions are required in relation to this issue, which shall encompass the, Victoria and Sub Surface Lines. In relation to the Central Line ATC group, management will provide a separate response within one week setting out its position.

 

 

TG Graded staff:

Management agrees to the RMT request for a workshop in relation to this issue. This workshop shall take place within the next six weeks.

 

 

On-Call Roster Payments:

Management and RMT shall agree the group of employees to whom this issue applies . Once the appropriate group has been identified, a one off payment shall be agreed in relation to those employees to reflect any historic underpayment.  Only those employees who have been on the on call roster for a period in excess of one year shall be eligible and the payment will reflect the period of time which the individual was in receipt of the allowance. The current allowance figure will be recalculated in accordance with clause 4 of the policy, which will be applied consistently going forward.

 

 

Patterning/Capability Management:

Management acknowledged the RMT’s concerns regarding the application of the process and will apply further rigour prior to holding any meeting with a member of staff. This will be achieved by the Head of AP or equivalent signing off the use of ‘rainbow patterning’ to a set of consistent guidelines which will be produced within the next four weeks.

 

 

Removal of individual PMA:

This issue is resolved.

 

 

In addition to the eight issues originally identified by RMT in November 2013, two further issues were raised during the course of the discussions at ACAS.

 

Incident Management:

It is agreed that a director led joint review of the organisation will be undertaken within six weeks.

 

 

Use of Contractors on Victoria Line

It is our intention for this work to be carried out in-house, but this is subject to staff being adequately trained through the IRSE. The team in question will shortly be internally verified to signals support tech status. Management confirmed that six opportunities existed in LU. It is proposed that this situation be resolved within 12 weeks.

 

For the avoidance of doubt, the proposals set out in this letter apply only to staff in those operational areas of the London Underground business formerly part of the Metronet business. Accordingly, none of these proposals shall be applied or form a precedent in other areas of the business.

 

I trust that these proposals are acceptable, and would be grateful to receive your confirmation that the dispute is resolved.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Terry Deller

Senior Employee Relations Manager

 

 

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LUL Pay Cut Offer

UPDATE 12TH MARCH

 

Today we met LUL for the second time since they made their first and only offer so far in this year’s pay negotiations

 

At today’s meeting no new offer was made , but management have agreed to have further talks (to have concluded by the end of next week) at Functional level to ascertain the impact of Night Tube in each of the 7 Grade Functional council areas.IE all staff

 

I have told LUL that they have to , outside of Night Tube ,significantly improve the base rate, address the issue of low pay, shorter working week  as well as addressing all of the other items in our claim and that I will be reporting back LUL s offer  to the General Secretary by the 20th March to enable the Union to make its formal response.

 

The next scheduled meeting with LUL is the 25th March. I have advised them that we are available before that date if needs be to discuss these matters .

 

John Leach

RMT Regional Organiser LT

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LUL Track and Signal Night Tube

Talks on Night Tube in the LUL Track and Signals area are close to collapse. In a totally illogical and intransigent manner, Employment Relations are refusing a joint meeting with the LUL Stations Reps so that a clear understanding can be sought on the health and safety issues that our members will face trying to carry out their work on a Tube System that is already under funded and under staffed.

In an act of total disregard and lack of understanding, Employment Relations have stated that Engineers are not ‘customer facing’ and therefore these is no need. Try telling the customers that as when they see anyone in a HIVI Vest, they naturally look to them for help. The reality is that our members have been attacked and injured in accidents and incidents at work, of course we want to make sure we understand all the risks thoroughly so that we can make sure the work can be done but our member’s safety comes first.

There can be no agreement unless it is safe and LUL have been told that in the most robust of ways. Until they can guarantee that, then the Night Tube talks teeter on the edge of collapse

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LUL Pay Cut Offer

This morning  myself and senior RMT Functional council reps attended a special meeting of the LUL company council to deal with this year’s pay claim. LUL made the first offer of this pay round, we have agreed to go back tomorrow at 1000 to continue the discussion .

 

Offer is

2 year deal .

Pay

2015 = 0.5%

2016=RPI

 

In return for and for future operation of NIGHT TUBE a Non consolidated( one off payment) for all COO staff and CPD Operational staff  , to be paid at two stages  £250 twice = £500 in total

 

And that’s it !

 

Our initial response was that this was an laughably inadequate disgraceful and in effect   an insult to all of the hardworking staff on LUL offer  With all of the extra productivity staff are giving now , let alone in Nigh Tube the company have offered what is in effect a “Cut “ in living standards . We will return to the Talks tomorrow , after which I shall provide a negotiating officers  report for the General Secretary and National Executive to formulate RMTs  response

 

Thanks

 

John Leach

RMT Regional Organiser

London Transport

Region 11

 

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LUL Pay Talks

Talks took place with LUL regarding pay and conditions on the 24th February. Despite expectations to the contrary, they did not give an initial offer making a mockery of their desire to resolve pay in a timely manner. LUL did however link the 2015 pay claim to the issue of Night Tube They have also said an offer will be forthcoming by the 3rd March

Below is a summary of the RMT requirements

 

A substantial pay award

Dramatic rises in living costs necessitate a substantial, unconditional pay award at the earliest opportunity, in order for our members’ pay to keep pace with both the increasing cost of living and rates of pay in the industry.

 

A minimum flat rate increase for those on the lowest pay

Those members who receive the lowest salaries bear the brunt of any increase in living costs and, as such, should be afforded additional protection in the form of a minimum flat rate increase.

 

Reduction in the working week

RMT members have identified a reduction in full-time working to a 4 day, 32 hour week as a key target (with a pro-rata decrease for part-time workers).

 

Ending the practice of permanently managed vacancies

The union’s policy is for management to increase levels of coverage in the roster and to cease the practice of permanently managed vacancies.

 

Best travel facilities for all staff

All staff, whether directly employed or not, should receive free access to all travel facilities as standard. This includes individuals who provide support services such as cleaning via outsourced companies, being entitled to the same travel facilities as directly employed workers.

 

Overtime

The union opposes the use of overtime where extensive and continued vacancies exist; we also oppose contractual, compulsory and the rostering of overtime.

 

Family friendly policies

The desire for improved work-life balance is coupled with a demand for more progressive ‘family-friendly’ policies and a claim for 52 weeks full pay for all women on maternity leave. 

 

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LUL Assaults Rise

RMT steps up tube cuts fight with Bakerloo Line protest as new figures show 44% increase in staff assaults

 

RMT Bakerloo Line activists, alongside community groups, will be taking the fight against staff cuts and the closure of tube ticket offices to the public next Wednesday – 25th February – between 8am and 10am and 4pm and 6pm hours with leafleting and petition signing outside Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line) station.

 

With the London Mayor’s ticket office closure programme now underway, RMT is ramming home the point that increasing passenger demand, forecast to continue to surge in the coming years, combined with increased levels of violent incidents against both passengers and staff are exposing Boris Johnson’s cuts programme for the reckless gamble that it is.

 

New research issued today by the Labour Group on the GLA shows a 44% increase in staff assaults since 2009 as cuts leave tube workers dangerously isolated. The recent stabbing of a customer assistant at Lancaster Gate was yet another warning ignored by the Mayor as he bulldozes ahead with his cuts programme. Details of the research are set out below.

 

The union is also be reinforcing the point that the closure of ticket offices, and the associated loss of jobs, discriminates against those groups who specifically require assistance to access the tube network, effectively turning the Underground into a no-go zone for some of the most vulnerable members of our society.

 

Meanwhile, RMT is continuing to raise safety, operational and staffing issues associated with the Mayor’s drive to introduce 24 hour weekend tube running.

 

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said;

 

“The fight against LUL ticket office closures and job cuts goes on and is widely supported by the public. The new research from the Labour Group on the GLA shows that assaults have nearly doubled in just five years and it is RMT members who are left vulnerable and isolated and at constant risk of attack as the cuts are driven through.

 

“The recent stabbing of a customer assistant at Lancaster Gate was just millimetres away from a potential fatality and yet those in charge, from the Mayor down, continue to ignore the brutal reality that confronts the tube workforce every single day of the week. These cuts have lethal consequences and RMT’s fight to stop them goes on.

 

“The event at Edgware Road in one of a number where RMT is uniting with the community to draw attention to the access and safety risks associated with this ill-conceived cuts programme at a time of surging passenger demand and increasing levels of violence.

 

“RMT will continue to oppose the ridiculous plan for ticket office closures and staff cuts and we will continue to keep the pressure on the mayor and LUL to put customers first.”

‎

 

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LUL Night Tube

General Secretary Mick Cash said.

 

“This announcement has been dropped on London by the Mayor as a blatant pre election stunt without a shred of consultation with the union. That is a ridiculous way to conduct important negotiations and to unveil major service developments.

 

“RMT is not opposed to extended running but there are massive issues on staffing, safety and maintenance which have not been addressed and which would need to be signed off by our  ‎reps.

 

“This announcement has been made against the backdrop of a near doubling in assaults on staff, cuts to over a thousand jobs and the axing of guards on London Overground.  Night running would mean increased drunkenness and risks to both passengers and staff alike and could only work with substantial increases in staffing right across the board and that means an immediate reversal of the current cuts programme . ”

 

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LUL Pay Talks

The RMT attended the pay talks today which consisted of LUL doing a detailed presentation of how well we are doing, how ticket prices are raising and how little money they have. Additionally how our pay has soared ahead of RPI (but less than ticket prices).  Following the presentation, at the expensive and posh building at Westferry Circus ‎we made some generic points about the pay claim regarding our members aspirations for better pay and conditions and the need for a fixed amount rise for the lowest paid as per our pay submission. These are very early talks and we have no visibility of any pay offer. ‎The say they want this issue sorted before April, which if true, they need only say yes to our claims and job done!

 

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