TRAIN CATERING FIGHTING FOR THE FUTURE
On-train catering jobs have been persistently under attack since Virgin handed over the franchise to First Trenitalia.
Back then there were 872 caterers – as of 7/9/23 it had dropped to around 688. After pressure from our RMT Catering Company Council staff reps the company have told us that for December 2023 it will go up slightly to a requirement for 720 – still substantially below the staffing figures when First Group/Trenitalia took over the franchise.
Not only have the numbers of catering staff reduced but there doesn’t seem to be any visible, transparent plan when it comes to identifying how individual train services will be staffed (an issue raised by your RMT reps on multiple occasions). Due to this the quality of the service is variable and staff often struggle to maintain it.
The much heralded at seat ordering service has been shunted quietly into a siding. Whilst the company tells us that they are looking to review the catering offer it’s less than specific on its medium to long term plans, leaving staff uncertain for the future. We all know that the RDG proposals (whilst not specific in detail for each TOC) talked about a wholesale review of on train catering.
RMT believes that Train Catering Provision for BOTH first and standard class (and standard premier) is an essential and integral part of the “on train offer” to passengers that needs to be protected and expanded.
The way to maintain the service, jobs and terms and conditions is to make sure your union negotiating team have the mandates for action that make the management think twice before embarking on further reckless initiatives.
Whilst the company are saying they have got the staffing figures right (although the figures keep changing!) – and have said that they will move work to where the staff are – they have also told us that some locations are “over headcount” and other locations are under staffed. This was the subject of discussions at a recent catering company council meeting.
RMT is determined to ensure long term job security and stability for all our members. Making sure that we are industrially strong to face the challenges ahead helps us protect YOUR long term future.
VOTE YES IN THE RE-BALLOT Stations and Retail Jobs – Defending services and fighting for jobs and terms and conditions
Our Station and Retail Grades members have faced the most immediate and acute threats to jobs and services with the Tory Government and rail bosses’ ticket office closure programme. Every ticket office is under threat.
The government and train operators have lied, saying this is simply a modernisation process, taking people
from behind ticket office windows and putting them onto platforms where they are “more accessible”.
Ticket offices provide a safe working environment and a focal point for passengers requiring assistance, information, journey planning and retail advice as well as ticket sales and railcards. Often they are the first place in a station where a passenger needing help will head for.
The plans to close our ticket offices are nothing short of an act of industrial vandalism.
If it had just been about moving staff from behind protective glass and desks and making them stand on concourses that would have been one issue - but with the proposals came redundancy notifications for around 2,200 members of staff across the industry – nearly 200 of them at Avanti West Coast – and these are REAL PEOPLE as the reductions in staffing do not include the multiple vacancies that have been kept deliberately open without being filled.
Your RMT staff reps have also objected to the consistent and persistent early closing and late opening of ticket offices due to chronic and deliberate short staffing. RMT Station and Retail Reps have also highlighted and sought to reverse company commercial decisions to restrict the types of tickets on sale at ticket offices.
Banning ticket offices from selling some tickets and then trying to say less people are using our ticket offices is a corruption of the figures and paints a misleading picture.
At the time of going to print – following a massive RMT campaign – and a public consultation exercise that had to be extended, it’s estimated that over 680,000 people have objected to the ticket office closures. Transport Focus are unlikely to make final decisions on the situation until the end of October due to the volume of responses. Meanwhile, RMT continues its high profile campaign to keep ticket offices open and stations staffed.
RMT believes that ticket offices are essential for many passengers and their use should be extended, looking at innovations to increase their use – not shut them down!
We also believe that ticket offices and station staff provide a welcoming, reassuring and safer environment for passengers. It’s time the planned closures and job cuts were shunted into a siding and left there!
When the government and the train operators announced their decisions to try and close all the ticket offices sparking a huge public backlash, Avanti told us they were going to start discussions on station grades restructuring. A number of meetings have been held (although these discussions have been paused following the public and political uproar over the ticket office closure plans).
It is fair to say that the new grades structure is possibly easier to achieve on Avanti than many other train operators because we are starting from a not dissimilar structure. However, concerns have already been expressed about some job descriptions and crucially the salary bands for the new grades haven’t been shared. Whilst there is some assurance about existing pay levels for current staff we need more assurances about pay increases going forward and the protection of other terms and conditions –
the company have intimated that they would also want to look at things like “London weighting allowance” although what that that means remains uncertain.
RMT believes having a two tier workforce (different rates of pay for doing the same jobs) as is being proposed by the Rail Delivery Group (without the pay details) is a retrograde step and creates problems for the future when it comes to defending existing salary structures.
Remember, the whole of this process is designed to slash costs whilst maintaining the profits of the private operators.
There are also multiple issues about how staff in the existing roles would be mapped into the new roles – and we certainly haven’t been given all the answers on that. Also, some of the answers we have been given we have serious concerns about.
At one point in the discussions the company indicated that there may be another voluntary leavers scheme. Despite questions from RMT reps the details of any scheme on Avanti remains a mystery.
We asked if it would be extended to other grades – outside of stations – potentially creating more opportunities to accommodate any staff who were displaced as well as giving opportunities for promotions. And we asked whether the scheme would possibly allow some element of staff travel going forward for those applying to leave on a voluntary basis. There were no assurances on any of that, so again, it’s crucial to renew our mandates for strike action to put us in the best negotiating position when all issues are discussed further.
IT’S CLEAR
It’s clear that across the industry there is a huge push for changes that will be detrimental to our members work life balance and terms and conditions – and to reduce staffing numbers – only by remaining strong, united and steadfast can your negotiators effectively put your interests FIRST.
TRAIN MANAGERS - CONSISTENTLY UNDER ATTACK
Since Avanti took over from Virgin our Train Manager members have faced multiple attacks from the company. We have seen huge reductions in rest days, attacks on commission earnings (particularly where Voyager Trains are used and there is no standard premium) and the undermining and misinterpretation of many agreements and working practices.
More recently, without notification, the company changed training norms for new entrant Train Managers and reduced refresher training for existing TM’s. This could, and was seen as, a fundamental attack on the operational and safety role of the Guard. Your RMT reps exposed and opposed these changes and the company have said they will revert to the previous standards and training specifications. This avoided yet another dispute with the train managers but we have now been told it may be November 2023 before the refresher training will start and re-training the new entrants is taking longer
than expected.
The company have also said it’s their intention to revisit whether these competencies are really required by train managers – so it’s clear there is an on-going threat to the role and responsibility of the Guard. RMT acknowledges changes in technology sometimes mean changes to tasks BUT we are determined not to see the safety and operational role of the Guard undermined and we require assurances about the long term future.
Additionally, Avanti have recently issued a précis for discussion about cutting back on train preparation duties and the time allowance to undertake them. They have now advised us that they will withdraw that précis following objections from your RMT Lead Officer and the Train Manager Company Council Reps. However, they have also said they reserve the right to revisit these proposals at any time.
We MUST remain vigilant in defending the role of the Guard and our policy of keeping a safety critical Guard on every train – with an essential operational role on the train.
Ensuring trains are properly prepared – faults are identified etc. – before a train comes into service is also a key aspect of OUR Train Manager role. There is also a quality issue here as well as a key safety function.
We know the Rail Delivery Group removed an objective from their proposals to extend Driver Only Operated trains/Driver Control of Operations BUT then stated that individual TOCs were free to progress this agenda themselves. The TOCs make up the Rail Delivery Group - one of the heads and the mouthpiece of that outfit is First Group Boss Steve Montgomery.
STOP DELAYING BETTER PAY Rail Workers Deserve A Decent Pay Rise
The Tory created cost of living crisis shows no real signs of getting any better. Food price inflation continues to rocket and the stark reality is that rail workers – who were classed as key workers and kept the country moving throughout the covid pandemic – haven’t had a pay rise for four years.
Our wages have been, and continue to be, undermined in terms of spending power. Our ability to buy essentials and life’s few luxuries is diminished. It is grossly unfair and frankly it is unsustainable.
We should also remember that the pay issue also has a detrimental impact on pensionable pay and what we will receive in retirement.
There is only one way to defeat huge job cuts and detrimental changes to terms and conditions and our work /life balance. One way to fight for a well earned pay rise – noting the rise being offered by the Rail Delivery Group is also well below inflation levels. One way to get the message across – that you deserve better and that you demand better. That is to VOTE YES in the re-ballot.
For a future without fear.
For stability and Job Security. For Better, Fairer Pay.
