ATTENDANCE

• Bakerloo branch – Jim McDaid, Malcolm Taylor
• Camden No.3 branch – Tony Gandolfi, Joanna Prestwich, John Reid, Pat O’Brien, Geoff Palmer, Becky Crocker
• Central Line West branch –
• DLR –
• East Ham – Claire Reilly, Gazell Lazell, Andy Izard, Unjum Mirza
• Finsbury Park branch – John Kelly, Dean O’Hanlon, Frank Curtis, Will Reid, G Deyle
• Hammersmith & City branch – Josie Toussaint-Pinnock, Mac McKenna, Mark Harding
• Jubilee South & East London Line branch – Lynda Aitken
• London Taxis branch –
• LU Engineering branch – Lewis Peacock (meeting secretary), Andy Littlechild, Jackie Darby
• LU Fleet branch – Kieran Crowe
• Morden & Oval branch –
• Neasden branch – Gerard Vickers
• Piccadilly & District West branch – Gwyn Pugh
• Retired Members branch –
• Stratford No.1 branch – Adrian Finney, Janine Booth (first item only)
• TfL No.1 branch – Carol Foster, Pete Woods
• Thames Riverboats branch –
• In attendance – Steve Hedley (regional Organiser), Olly New (Council of Executives member), Phil Boston (Organising Unit)

‘STAFF OUR STATIONS’ CAMPAIGN FILM SCREENING

Agreed to donate £300 to Reel News to help with production costs & £50 for 10 copies of DVDs.

Meeting that in the absence of the President and Vice President, Andy Littlechild chair the meeting.

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Janine Booth (Leaving Early), Vaughan Thomas, Linda Wiles, Paul Rutland, Lindsey Rutland, Joanne Parry, Dave Rayfield, Mick Crossey, Paul Jackson

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

Proposed by Piccadilly & West, seconded by TfL no.1. Agreed.

3. MATTERS ARISING

None.

4. RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISING

Phil Boston reported on the continuing London Overground recruitment drive and Taxi Driver recruitment.

5. COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES AND REGIONAL ORGANISER’S REPORTS

Olly New reported on:

• Jarvis Workers situation
• Request for members to support TUSC & Parliamentary group election campaigns
• LU ballot update – membership matrix issues
• Tubelines ballot update – imposition of rosters and breakdown of pay talks
• Expulsion of BNP councillor from the union
• East London Line (now London Overground) full re-opening – Demo to be held May 23rd. Details to be confirmed

Steve Hedley reported on:

• Cleaners transferred from ISS to Initial – TUPE agreement not being honoured
• London Underground job cuts update – All grades dispute
• Busworker members – letter sent from General Secretary to busworker members requesting they should re-join Unite for recognition purpose.
• Delegation from this region, Council of Executive member and Regional Organiser met with General Secretary regarding membership matrix issues. A way forward has hopefully been found to complete the matrix.
• May Day Demo – 12 noon Clerkenwell Green
• Counter Demo against EDL – Aylesbury May Day

Points raised in discussion:

• TSSA reps stayed in station functional meeting after RMT had walked out over job cuts issue.
• Meeting with Jarvis speaker being held Monday 10th May, Exmouth Arms 17:00
• Proposed that the LTRC donate £500 to sacked Jarvis workers campaign (next LTRC executive meeting to agree available funds) Moved Camden, Seconded TfL Agreed
• Further discussion needed on structure of East London Line Demo
• Changes to LU Drugs and Alcohol policy – Point of Contact drug test not acceptable
• Blair Peach Internal Police Report - The need for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Meeting agreed regional secretary to send proposal to Council of Executive for consideration.

6. RESOLUTIONS

1. London Underground industrial action ballot, submitted by the Regional Council Executive This Regional Council is very frustrated by the lack of progress in carrying out the union's decision to ballot our members for industrial action to stop London Underground's plan to slash 800 jobs. We understand the problems caused by the anti-union laws. However, we believe that the union can and must, as a matter of urgency, prepare and carry out this ballot. We remind our national officers that 800 jobs are at stake.

Carried unanimously.

2. Contacting pressure groups, submitted by Finsbury Park, seconded by Stratford no.1. This Regional Council calls on the GS to seek out and find all known independent travel and watchdog pressure groups with a view to building a strong joint campaign against London Underground's reckless assault on the safety of the travelling public in London. We firmly believe that if we can make the clear link between the proposed job cuts and the lowering of passenger safety and security since the recent atrocities committed on 7/7/2005, we will gain the support of the general public, particularly in light of the recent bombings that occurred on the Moscow subway. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

Carried unanimously

3. Appeal against decision on election candidate, submitted by Stratford no.1, seconded by TfL no.1. This Regional Council appeals against the Council of Executives' decision to reject our unanimously-agreed request for support for Jill Mountford, Workers' Liberty candidate for the Camberwell and Peckham constituency in the General Election.

For 6 Against 1 Abstentions 4 CARRIED

EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS

E1. Right to Work Conference, submitted by LU Fleet, seconded by Jubilee South and East London Line. 1. We note with concern the pre-election commitment of the leaders of all three major parties that public services will be cut in order to fund the public budget deficit. 2. We deplore the attacks made by David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Lord Adonis together with the right wing media on those workers, such as the BA cabin crew, trying to defend their rights, conditions and pay. 3. We believe that working people should not have to pay for a deficit that has been caused by this Government nationalising the gambling debts run up by the bankers. 4. We also note that cuts are already being implemented in higher education, council services, schools and the NHS even before the introduction of any overall austerity package. 5. We deplore the attempts by unelected European Union and International Monetary Fund officials to foist a full-blooded austerity package on the people of Greece, where pensions and wages are being cut and services slashed, but welcome the resistance being shown by Greek trade unionists, pensioners and students. 6. We welcome the decision of the Right to Work campaign to hold an emergency post-election conference on Saturday 22 March aimed at uniting workers, students, pensioners and all those rely on public services in building and developing attacks on our services, jobs and living standards. 7. This branch agrees to support the conference and to send a motion to London Transport Regional Council, to encourage that body to send 5 delegates to the conference. 8. Further we agree to affiliate to the Right to Work campaign. To affiliate to the national Right to Work campaign (cost £30 – send cheques payable to Manchester TUC and marked “RtW Affiliation” to the above address.) Delegate costs for 22 May, £8 per delegate, cheque payable to Manchester TUC to the above address, enclose name/s of delegates, body they represent and contact details.

Carried unanimously.

E2. All Grades Ballot, submitted by Neasden, seconded by Camden 3 This region notes that the plans for station staff cuts affect all grades. This region notes that our ethos and history supports all grades in action together. This region calls on the CofE to ballot every single grade within London Underground for the “operational strategic plan” Dispute.

Carried unanimously.

Camden 3 had submitted an emergency resolution on a simiilar subject, but withdrew it.

Extension of standing orders agreed

7. GUEST SPEAKER – LATIN AMERICAN WORKERS’ ASSOCIATION

Did not attend

8. CORRESPONDENCE

None.

9. OTHER REPORTS

Carol Foster, Women’s Officer, reported on plans for an RMT women’s lunch on 10 May. Agreed to fund this to a maximum of £100.

10. REPORTS ON PROGRESS OF RESOLUTIONS

None

11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

None

Meeting closed at 18:45