Blogs

Stonewall has announced today that it will begin campaigning on Trans issues. Stonewall is a charity which works to achieve equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexual people. In 2013 the RMT LGBT conference passed a resolution on Stonewall which included the call that "Stonewall should stop perpetuating the exclusion of transgender people and campaign on trans issues in England and Wales, not just LGB issues."

You can read about Stonewall's decision to begin campaigning on trans issues here.

Support for the Bus Workers taking strike action

The RMT London Regional Council send messages of support and solidarity to the Unite workers taking action against the employers across London’s Bus services.
We salute the action named from 00:01 to 23:59 hours on Thursday 5 February, Friday 13 February and Monday 16 February as being bold and laying down in no uncertain terms to all the employers your determination to prevail in your demands.

We shall be asking our members and activists to visit your picket lines in a show of solidarity.

Vote Yes For Strike To Defend Alex

• Alex McGuigan has diabetes which is known to affect breathlyser testing

• Guidelines were not followed when Alex was tested

• An LUOH doctor supported our concerns

• We demand Alex is reinstated or that LUL agree to abide by ET outcome

• LUL testing procedure must be made robust and fair for all workers

please download, print and distribute around your workplace.
hard copies available form Unity House

Employee bulletin

A response to the employee bulletin written by Nigel Holness, Operations Director - Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

Colleagues

Last week Nigel Holness sent out a letter to all members of staff about dismissed train operator Alex McGuigan. It contained a number of what politicians refer to as “terminological inexactitudes”. As the person who represented Alex at all stages of the procedure I am in a better position than Nigel to tell you the truth about what has happened to Alex.

Rail worker trade unionists and environmental activists in the USA are meeting to discuss how they can support each others’ struggles, and how the issues they're fighting on intersect.

Environmental and community activists concerned about “oil trains” (freight vehicles carrying tonnes of dangerous and unsustainable fossil fuel) being transported through working-class neighbourhoods will learn about the workplace issues faced by the workers who drive and crew those trains — fatigue, lone-working, and more.

Latest edition of rmtlondoncalling, please download, print, display & distribute around your workplace.
Read about;

• The campaign for Alex McGuigans reinstatement

• Ongoing every job matters dispute – rosters cause rage on stations – reps and activists called for a meeting to discuss industrial action

• March for homes on January 31 2015

• London Underground fingered in tax evasion scandal

• 95% of DLR members vote yes for industrial action

• Vicky Hayward reinstated – stand firm for other sacked members

LONDON UNDERGROUND FINGERED IN TAX EVASION SCAM

AGS people and LUL are complicit in a tax evasion scam whereby they use the self-employed status of workers to avoid paying employers National Insurance liabilities to HMRC, SSP and holiday pay to the workers and destroy pretty much every right a worker in the UK enjoys.
Workers, even agency workers, have certain rights and protections. A self-employed cleaner has none. I would be interested to see the actual contract between the self-employed and LUL or its sub-contractor, if one even exists.

Dear All,

At the General Grades Committe it was agreed to put on a ballot of all Train Ops as soon as possible in Defence of the reinstatement of Bro McGuigan and to escalate this to other Grades if and when neccessary.

We will be discussing our response to the draconian new rosters being put forward by management on the Stations. I will be contacting functional reps and Branches to discuss our response. RMT will not accept rosters that leave our stations without adequate staff to the job nor will we accept ridiculous working patterns that leave our members with no work/life balance.

Interserve, the latest outsourced contract cleaning company LUL have tasked with humiliating and treating our cleaners as an underclass of London’s workers.

Previous incumbents of the multi million pound contracts on offer from TfL/LUL/Mayor’s office have failed to pay minimum wage, London Living wage, sick pay, travel allowance to our cleaners.

Interserve are perhaps the worst of the worst.
Non-payment of wages, late payment of wages, no pay slips, statutory sick pay withheld are the headlines in this appalling companies treatment of our comrades and colleagues.

The fit for the future(sic) plan LUL have for us all mean we all have to trot off to Ashfield House for an indoctrination process – training exercise ( *delete as appropriate)
Fine. They pay us. We go. We listen. We believe.
In their time. In the hours they expect us to roll up for work as per our contract.

The latest, sensitive approach from LUL is to dictate to part time workers they must attend full time courses, irrespective of commitments outside the world of LUL, be it childcare, elderly relatives or voluntary community work.