TFL/LUL TRANSFORMATION
Further to my letter of 15th April 2019 you will know that TfL/LUL is undergoing a process called ‘Transformation’ which aims to cut costs and make savings by making job cuts. LUL has recently announced a further raft of job losses affecting members in Track Access Control, Power Control, Service Control, LUCC, Skills Development, Waste, Pumps, Stations Buildings & Civils and Signals Incidents.
RMT is of course opposed to the whole Transformation process and I immediately wrote to the Company to demand that section 6.1.1. of the Main Framework Agreement is adhered to. This states that any changes in relation to staffing levels will only be carried out following full consultation and negotiation with the trades unions. This has not been the case so far as no negotiation has taken place and no safety review or validation has been provided.
The Company were informed that we are in dispute over its failure to follow the correct procedures and failure to adhere to our agreements while pushing ahead with job losses affecting RMT members. All RMT Reps were also been advised not to attend or take part in any briefings or discussions regarding this matter until further notice.
We have now had sight of an LU Skills Development Change Update Bulletin sent to staff where appallingly the company has gone ahead and opened up a Voluntary Severance Scheme despite our request for proper negotiations and in the full knowledge that a dispute situation exists between us. We have demanded that this notice is withdrawn immediately and that this completely unacceptable trawl for Voluntary redundancies is stopped. We will not tolerate management riding roughshod over our agreements and trying to bulldoze through such a major transformation, which will have a devastating effect on jobs, without proper consultation and negotiation with RMT.
I will of course keep you updated with all further developments.
Yours sincerely,
Mick Cash
General Secretary