Maintenance

London Underground were today notified that we are in dispute and all LUL Fleet members will be balloted for industrial action over the appalling treatment of LU Fleet member Brother Ainsley McKoy.

Brother McKoy has had disciplinary action instigated against him by a COO manager outside their sphere of influence, without any involvement or input from Fleet management. We believe this has serious implications across the whole of Fleet and in particular Call Point Train Maintainers where a manager in another function can feel at liberty to discipline a Fleet member.

RMT members working for Tube Lines in the Permanent Way Department (track) on the Jubilee Line are being balloted for both strike action and action short of a strike from today in a dispute over the withdrawal of rest days, the union confirmed this morning.

The dispute, which has massive implications for the Jubilee Line services, is over an all-out attack by the management on properly rostered and agreed time off away from work. The removal of rest days would wreck the work/life balance of staff and effectively leave them at the beck and call of their managers.

RATES OF PAY AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 2014 – BALFOUR BEATTY RUISLIP

Balfour Beatty have failed to propose a pay offer which meets our members’ aspirations. Consequently our members are being balloted for strike action and industrial action short of a strike.

Papers have just been despatched and should arrive at members’ homes by the end of this week with a closing date of 1st July 2014. Should members not receive their voting papers by Thursday 19th June 2014, they should contact the helpline on 0800 376 3706 or Head Office on 0207 387 4771 and ask to speak to Industrial Relations.

BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – POWER CONTROL OPERATORS – LONDON UNDERGROUND (LUL/14/2)

Branches will be aware that our Power Control Room Operator members were due to take industrial action over the Bank Holiday period. Last ditch talks held under the auspices of ACAS made real progress and consequently the industrial action was suspended to allow further talks. The union secured a 28 day ballot extension which will allow us to call further industrial action should these talks fail to progress to our satisfaction.

WITHDRAWAL OF REST DAYS – JUBILEE LINE – TUBE LINES (LUL/8/6)

We have entered into dispute with Tube Lines after they took away the rest days of our Jubilee Line Permanent Way members. We believe it is totally unacceptable to remove our members’ right to proper rostered agreed quality time off away from work. The union has therefore entered into dispute with the company and ballot papers will be sent to members later this week with a closing date of Thursday 19th June 2014.

A resolution was received from our LU Fleet Branch to advise how their members are appalled at the treatment of Brother Ainsley McKoy by COO Operations management. This follows a COO Manager instigating disciplinary action against a Fleet member outside their sphere of influence, without any involvement by COO Fleet Management in the process. We believe this has serious implications across the whole of fleet and our Call Point Train Maintainers where any manager can discipline one of our members and bypass the whole COO Fleet process. This sets a very dangerous precedent.

A ballot for strike action and industrial action short of a strike was held of our Tube Lines members at Northfield Depot over a Breakdown in industrial relations. This dispute related to reports we had received that management had been riding roughshod over agreements relating to the Sickness and Attendance Procedures. They had also withheld sickpay, denied the right to raise a grievance as well as the right to trade union representation.

This week saw the RMT take their second 48 hour period of strike action against London underground's devastating plan to close all ticket offices and shut nearly a thousand jobs. Many tube lines were suspended by the RMT action, with big delays across all other lines.

RMT is mid way through a planned five days of all-out strike action across London Underground after long-running talks hosted by ACAS, aimed at settling the dispute over cuts to jobs, ticket offices and safety, were wrecked by a combination of management intransigence and the introduction of additional measures that actually worsened the original toxic package. It has also been made crystal clear to the union that this is just a first tranche of cuts with even harder attacks being lined up for the near future.

The RMT is today (2nd May, 2014) back at ACAS following the recent industrial action.

We note the resolution from our LU Fleet Branch share their sentiments on the unfair treatment of Brother McKoy by the COO Operations Management Management.

We also agree that the intervention of a COO manager on our members on Fleet side of LU has serious implications and sets a dangerous precedent for our members. We agree to enter into dispute with the company over this matters and ballot all our LU Fleet members for industrial action short of strike action. We instruct the General Secretary to work with LU Fleet branch to serve notice on this matter within 2 weeks.