Category: Tube Lines

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Section 15: We told LUL so

Last night a serious incident occurred using a Section 15 Possession whereby a message informing staff that there was a train in the area failed to be passed on. Staff could easily have been on the track with potentially fatal consequences when the Engineering Train went through the section of track.

The RMT are balloting over Section 15 Possessions on the basis that we have said we believe someone will be killed by this procedure. This incident highlights and vindicates exactly what the RMT have been loudly saying to Management

A section 15 Possession is solely about removing tried and tested protection methods for staff to access the track safely and replace it with a diluted possession that fails to address safety issues or cater for human error. It is purely about circumventing our Track Access Controllers who professionally record people working and trains through areas etc with what can only be described as a process more attune to writing it on the back of a fag packet

The RMT are sure that once again they will blame a worker, but the reality is that we have consistently warned this very event would occur. We believe LUL are fully and solely to blame for this mess and those that imposed this process should be held account for this near disaster.

The ‘system’ is not fit for purpose and now LUL have had a near miss, it is time to put our member’s life first and we call on LUL to scrap this ludicrous process and get back round the table with our Health and Safety Experts.

 

 

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Section 15: Further Issues

It has come to light that following the trial of Section 15 that LUL have declared as successful, a whole further raft of issues were raised and ignored.

These included

  • Site Access Controllers at Northfields and Hatton Cross more often than not don’t have train radios or auto phones meaning that staff working at stations without phone reception on platforms must wait outside the station for their call that traction current is off and last train has departed. Leading to delays in starting work. This also means they aren’t contactable in an emergency if it should occur while in a line clear area.
  • Calls to and from Site Access Controllers are mobile phone calls and none of the safety critical messages are recorded.
  • SPC in work group is under no obligation to witness the passage of the last train or that the traction current has been discharged, just relies on an unrecorded message from Site Access Controller from Northfields or Hatton Cross that this has happened.
  • Driving to sites to sign in and out at Northfields and Hatton Cross isn’t environmentally friendly and means extra mileage plus wear and tear on vehicles.
  • A bulletin was sent that said “Section 15 is a possession protection method used during Engineering Hours that improves safety and increases the work time available on some shifts by up to 40 minutes”
  • From the list of issues above it cannot be seen how this has improved safety and from those staff involved, work time is actually significantly reduced not increased by up to 40 minutes. This is due to the time it takes to set up and remove possession and Site Access Controller to ring through the list of the SPC’s who have signed in.

Additionally, there have been further incidents raised via the Track Access Controllers

  • On Monday night 16th November we were made aware of an incident that allegedly took place in a Section 15 Possession.  POM had been granted access by SC only for support staff to find on site that traction current was still switched on; “Hatton cross to Heathrow, Both”.  If true this represents a fundamental failure of the key safety improvement “permissioning” promised by the introduction of this new procedure.
  • Monday night TAC denied access to a Train Master whose license to act in that role was out of date.   You may recall one of the TAC concerns raised about Section 15 was that SC and POM do not have the tools to check licenses are valid.  At the Tier 2 meeting on 10th September LUL told the RMT that all protection staff’s licenses are checked before being deployed to site.  Clearly that didn’t happen on Monday.  Had the Train Master been booked to work in a Section 15 Possession this would not have been detected.
  • Another concern was where Section 15 Possession limits were staggered, resulting in protection staff becoming confused about who to book on with at these locations.  Assurances were given future Possessions would have their limits aligned to prevent this happening.  This weekend there is a Section 15 Possession published:- both EB roads from Chiswick Park sub-gaps / LU boundary at Gunnersbury to Barons Court sub-gaps, then both local roads from Barons Court sub-gaps to Earls Court sub-gaps.  As a result half of the 4 tracking area is under Section 15 Possession, half in Engineering Hours.  Between Turnham Green and the Gunnersbury boundary, one road under POM’s control, the other belongs to TAC.  Worse still, a similar situation exists in the double track tunnel east of Earls Court.
  • Finally, in response to concerns that Section 15 could be used to replace EH protection, the TAC’s were told it was intended for major work packages. The Possession above is published to facilitate “point maintenance”.

The RMT is massively concerned about Section 15 Possessions and news on a ballot across LUL and Tubelines affected staff will be notified soon

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Withdrawal of Rest Days, Track & Civils Staff – Tube Lines (AP JNP)

Following the Tube Lines decision to withdraw the Rest Days from new starters and existing staff that transfer to new job, the Operational Track staff across the Northern, Pic and Jubilee are to be balloted for action

The papers will be posted out to members on Thursday 10th December and the closing date for the ballot is Thursday 7th January 2016.

Vote YES to action and NO to cuts to our work life balance

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Tube Lines Pay, Night Tube and Pensions

All issues to be discussed at the Company Council on 3rd December

Pay/ PRP: Talks are stalled as Tube Lines, despite stating their independence, remain tied to the same offer that is being offered to LUL staff. The RMT await an improved final offer from Tube Lines that will no doubt mirror identically the offer made to LUL staff last week. We will then make a decision whether this is acceptable or whether we are in dispute. The RMT will ensure that any pay offer is equally applied to the Performance Related Pay (PRP) Pot for staff on full PRP

Pension: Despite being close to an agreement, LUL have put the entry of all Tube Lines staff into the TFL Pension and their TUPE back into LUL on a slow track whilst they try to reach agreement on London Underground regarding Night Tube. The RMT will not allow this issue to be dragged on any longer. LUL need now to be more proactive and finalise an agreement that could easily have been completed nearly a year ago

Night Tube: The RMT are refusing to discuss this until Tube Lines/ LUL return to the table and put finalise the agreement to enter staff into the TfL Pension and Tupe the remaining staff into LUL

 

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TRACK PATROLLING, CLESHAR STAFF – LONDON UNDERGROUND

Our Ref: LUL/14/1

 

10th November 2015

 

 

Dear Paul,

 

TRACK PATROLLING, CLESHAR STAFF – LONDON UNDERGROUND

 

Thank you for submitting your Branch Resolution regarding the above. This matter has been considered by the General Grades Committee, which has taken the following decision:-

 

“We note the report of the Lead Officer and we also note the views of the Branch and Representatives and we therefore instruct the General Secretary to prepare a ballot matrix and to ballot all members that are operational permanent way track staff for strike action and action short of strike action.

 

Relevant Branch and London Transport Regional Council to be informed”.

 

I am currently acting in accordance with the above decision and will keep you advised of all further developments.

 

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash

General Secretary

 

 

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Section 15 Possessions Resolution

The LUEngineering Branch has asked the General Grades Committee to accept the below resolution.

Emergency Resolution: Section 15 Possessions

“This branch notes that LUL are imposing new possession arrangements under Section 15 of the Rule Book. This branch believes that they are dangerous and that people are liable to be killed. Below is a list of issues associated with this imposition:

  • Consultation with H&S reps and in particular Track and Signals has not finished.
  • There are no banners to define possession limits.
  • There is no protection in place to protect the possession.
  • There is potential for confusion regarding Engineering or traffic hours working as section 15 blurs the lines.
  • There have been eIRFs raised by other trial sites.
  • There is no formal staff training on section 15 possessions.
  • There are no management briefings prior to the section 15 possession trail.
  • There is genuine potential for confusion regarding train movements in the worksite/ within possession limits.
  • There is confusion on 5 minute call back time compared to existing practice and may cause people to rush giving up protection to avoid train delays.
  • Working Risk Assessment is historical and not generic to the new working practices.
  • Potential confusion between TAC and Controller.
  • Success criteria in the DRACCT has not been meet, so trial is already unsuccessful.

We ask the General Grades Committee to Ballot all members that access the track on LUL and Tube Lines for strike action and action short of strike, unless full discussions have taken place with our Health and Safety Reps on both companies and they are satisfied it is safe.

We cannot allow a cost cutting agenda to place the lives and safety of our members in danger.”

Our members are truly worried by this development and we demand one thing, that our members can work safely. So we call on LUL to listen to us. This is not safe

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Section 15 – A Disaster Waiting To Happen!

LU management have imposed a new rule, section 15 possession protection, which removes the requirement to book out with the Track Access Controller and allows the Service Controller to implement protection in a planned possession in engineering hours.

Although management state that consultation was completed with the trade unions, this is untrue. Consultation of any sort only happened when your RMT Track & Signals H&S representatives forced management to get round the table.

Consultation had not been exhausted and management reneged on the Terms of Reference which had jointly been agreed between the RMT and management. A review of the so called “trials” was still in discussion, when management went and stopped any further review workshops.

The RMT believes these so called “trials” were a farce, which did not even meet the success criteria laid out in the DRACCT documentation. Possession plans were inaccurate, the risk assessment was “historical” and not updated, and many safety incidents were reported within these “trials”. Even a basic request from the RMT reps, to see evidence of staff working within the trial sites were correctly certificated, could not be adequately supplied by management.

Contradictions run throughout this procedure. We believe this will add confusion and lead to serious safety breaches. Longstanding principles of avoiding staff carrying out unrelated activities when engineers trains/mechanised vehicles are working, are ripped up! One example,train movements between worksites and possessions, will happen if so called “planned”. How this will be controlled on the ground is kept vague.

The RMT are constantly calling for management to get back round the table (via the unfinished workshops and then to a joint safety forum), so that we can find a safer solution. Management have refused our requests up to now and we are left with no other option but to prepare to ballot, for action short of strike, all LU and JNP members who work on or about the track.

UNITY IS STRENGTH!

SAFETY BEFORE PROFIT!

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Tube Lines PRP

The LU Engineering Branch has passed the below resolution that now has gone to the RMT General Grades Commitee to review

 

Tube Lines General Pay Award (PRP) Resolution:

 

This branch reiterates that we will fully support our members on full Performance Related Pay (PRP) which also includes many Operational Managers (Q Grades), Technical and Admin Grades (the same Grades remain on part PRP within LUL). We therefore ask the General Grades Cmtee to ensure our negotiating team continue to equally push the claims of these members and that a report and letter is sent to ALL our Tube Lines members detailing not only this issue but why pay talks have stuttered and the RMT are in dispute with Tube Lines over Pay.”

 

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Tube Lines Pay & Company Council Update

Dear Colleagues,

Further talks were carried out last week between TFL/ Tube Lines and the Trade Unions. There is no further progress and we remain in dispute. Hopefully, our ballot matrix will be ready soon

Report

  • Minutes from 3rd June agreed
  • Pension there are no planned JWP meetings because TFL are  still busy talking to LU reps about night tube/ pay.
  • If agreed that Night Tube is to be done on a voluntary basis  on LU, Tubelines would not be  able to because all 3 of their lines are effected.
  • The rest of the pay/ night tube is the same as LU’s.
  • We said if you give us the pension we could sort out Night Tube, Andy Derbyshire will talk to TFL, he asked in the meantime can we talk about night tube we said no.
  • Xmas & new yrs/ working arrangements Bonus, they could not tell us what it will be and are going to get back.
  • LU strike days Tube lines will still be asking for sick notes and refusing A/L but there would be managers discretion on A/L , they said staff phone in sick or take A/L rather than try to get to work or cross picket lines, we did not agree to this they said they have done it in the past, we said they let staff know  beforehand and didn’t this time.
  • They would tell managers to inform staff in future.

 

Notes of Company Council Meeting No 53 3rd June 2015

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Martin Stukin's Dismissal

Martin works for Tube Lines in Lifts and Escalators and like many people has been unwell over the last few year. However, he has been improving and has been productive to the company and his vast experience has been well utilised by the company.

However, Martin was brought in for a meeting last week and told the company were to dismiss him on medical grounds. The truth is the company refused to wait for his consultant’s appointment that is due to take place imminently (3 weeks) and stated that as they had no light duties, that they would move straight to dismissal. They never considered alternatives such as London Underground’s Alternative Duties Department or other areas of the business sufficiently.

The RMT won agreement many years ago that no medical termination or redeployment would take place without a job offer first. This did not occur and management  steam rollered the whole issue through despite rigorous opposition from his reps.

The member that worked with Martin believe this to be the wrong decision and are looking to defend Martin and defend the agreement over sickness. To that end they are organising support for Martin including the below attached petition for his reinstatement (to be used at his appeal).

The matter will be discussed at the next branch meeting and all methods to defend his job will be considered

 

Martin Stukin Petition

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Tube Lines Pay and Night Tube

RATES OF PAY & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE AND NIGHT RUNNING – TUBE LINES AP JNP (LUL/0001/TL)

 

Further to my previous Circular (IR/200/15, 20th August 2015), I advised Branches of the dates for the industrial action ballot in respect of the above however, it has regrettably been necessary to withdraw this ballot. This is because the Company challenged the validity of our Notice of Ballot, stating that a number of members that RMT has listed as working for Tube Lines AP JNP have since transferred to work for London Underground or TfL. Our RMT Reps and Branch Secretaries are now urgently reviewing the data and we will serve a new notice on the Company as soon as possible. I will advise you of the revised dates in due course.

It is of course unfortunate that the Company has chosen to use the anti-trade union laws to prevent this ballot going ahead rather than discussing the matter with us in an effort to resolve the dispute. The dispute situation with Tube Lines AP JNP over the pay offer and the offer in recognition of a 24-hour service is still very much in place and we will continue to demand an above inflation pay rise and proper recognition and reward over Night Tube for Tube Lines AP JNP members.

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