July 2023
Issue no 2
Management signal assault on all fronts
RMT will fight for jobs, pensions and conditions
Strike week commencing 23 July
At our members meeting in May, it was clear that massive support exists for our fight to defend jobs, pensions and conditions.
At that meeting we noted that responses from management were outstanding regarding station jobs; Protection of earnings in re-organisations and so-called Trains Modernisation. Since then, management has confirmed its position on these things… and it is to ramp up attacks on staff.
On top of this management has proposed a new AAW that is a license for bullying managers.
The National Executive Committee has now called rolling strike action, with different functions taking action on different days, from 23rd July. See the full details at the end of this bulletin.
We won’t fund cuts with our jobs and conditions while they get huge bonuses.
LUL/TfL Report
Station job cuts and downgradings
Faced with a stations overtime ban, management moved to restore some part-time weekend CSA jobs and upgrade some CSA2s across nine station covergroups. Further discussions are planned to discuss the remaining cover-groups and to look whether further job restorations are needed to make rosters more resilient. RMT will continue to press these issues but any progress being made has been jeopardised by the announcement of yet another reorganisation with devastating potential impacts for members across all station grades.
• CSMs told to apply for their own jobs and face a pay cut if they are not one of the lucky minority to keep a CSM position. Management is refusing to guarantee salaries, a position we won during
fit for the future.
• Fewer, bigger areas. All station grades face being moved at the last minute around huge areas. The framework was not designed to work over areas the size of former cover-groups.
• Another 200 job cuts delivered on top of the 600 imposed since the pandemic.
RMT will fight them all the way. Passenger numbers are back up to well over 90% and we need our station staff.
Management might be happy with posters misleading passengers about the availability of staff at every station during traffic hours. We will fight for adequate staffing in all locations for real.
Trains modernisation
RMT has told management that we reject their plans for trains modernisation. At a directors meeting on 4 July, LUL refused RMT demands to withdraw the plans and indicated they will press ahead by seeking further discussions at ACAS.
Management’s proposals amount to a package of flexibility demands including longer shifts, more
time between breaks, short-term cover with duties given out at the last moment and remote booking on and off.
We need to show management that we will not sit back and accept them pressing on with their agenda for flexible working, job cuts and massive fatigue for T/Op members.
APD – ( Asset Performance Directorate)
Like CSMs on the stations, many members in APD (Asset Performance Directorate) face the uncertainty of organisational change, which can make their jobs redundant and force members into redeployment. Management has confirmed their stance than any protection of earnings would
be based on the standard of 3 years protection. This would mean no pay rises for three years and an immediate drop in pensionable pay. RMT has pressed management to guarantee the substantive salaries of members facing organisational change but they refuse to do so.
Fleet maintenance schedules
RMT Fleet maintenance reps have uncovered written plans for extended train prep. That means checking trains less regularly. Management has refused our requests to rule
out such changes. With £600m of cuts still to be found we must fight to win assurances that extended prep and job cuts are not the next stop for Fleet maintenance.
New AAW (Attendance at Work policy)
On top of all this, our employer has now tabled a new AAW. It is a bullying managers charter. It’s as though the most unsympathetic employing managers across LUL and TfL have been invited to draw up a wish list of ways to harass staff who are unwell. If you’ve ever wondered why senior management so rarely uphold complaints of bullying by managers, this lays it bare… senior management want their employing managers to behave like that.
• Any sickness over 7 days to be treated as long-term with sickness reviews demanded. At a review you would have no right to representation and would have to discuss a return-to-work plan drawn up by your manager.
• Failing to achieve a return-to-work plan imposed by your manager would be a trigger for formal action.
• Just two items of sickness in a year would lead to formal action.
• You can be put into redeployment at any time when you are sick. Redeployment will give you just 6 weeks (down from 13 weeks now) to find a new role or face medical dismissal.
Pay 2023
LUL has confirmed that their latest 4% offer is not their full and final offer. Further discussions will be taking place at ACAS.
Once again management told us they have no money. Once again, they refused to comment of senior management bonuses. They tell the Standard
Pensions
Thanks to the strike action and steadfast defence of our pension by members over the past 18 months we have held TfL back, so far.
TfL has written to the government seeking clarity on the legal framework that will be created to facilitate
• Any failure to meet return to work plans could lead to sick pay being withdrawn.
This shows you what your senior management really think of you. If you’re sick you’re either lying or you’re no use any more.
RMT will fight this all the way.
they are making a profit and can pay director’s bonuses. They tell us there is no money for pay.
Your RMT Company Council reps made it clear to LUL that members will not accept this provocative pay offer, on top of everything else being thrown at us.
any transfer of the TfL pension into the LGPS (Local Government Pension Scheme). The government has not yet replied.
But the threat of being moved to the LGPS remains and RMT continues to demand that it is removed.
Unite to defend jobs and conditions
TfL and the Mayor continue to implement the government’s cuts agenda. The proposed AAW shows that far from seeking to protect staff from the impact of cuts, they see forcing those who are unwell to drag themselves into work as a way to make cuts to cover staff.
TfL and LUL management are trying and force a new relationship with their staff. Flexible casualised working
STRIKE DETAILS
Sunday 23rd July 2023
with fewer staff, dire consequences for sickness and a sub-standard pension - That is what they seek to impose. They cynically use the COVID pandemic as an excuse when we can all see, with our own eyes, that the tube system is once again full to bursting.
We must stand together. Unity is strength. We’ve defended our jobs and conditions before and we’ll do it again.
Track Access Controllers, Power/Control members, Emergency Response Unit members and London Underground Control Centre members not to book on for any shift between 0001 and 2359
Tuesday 25th July 2023
Signallers and Service Control members not to book on for any shift between 0001 and 2359
Wednesday 26th July 2023
All Fleet, Engineering, Stations and Trains members not too book on for any shift between 0001 and 2359
Thursday 27th July
Signallers and Service Control members not to book on for any shift between 0001 and 2359
Friday 28th July 2023
All Fleet, Engineering, Stations and Trains members not too book on for any shift between 0001 and 2359
visit www.rmt.org.uk/join www.rmt.org.uk
Scan the QR Code to join RMT or
