Notes from Regional Council Executive meeting, 10 November 2009

Attendance: Janine Booth, Adrian Rowe, Dave Rayfield, John Kelly, Malcolm Taylor, Andy Izard, Pat O'Brien, Keith Saunders, Carol Foster, Jackie Darby, Tony Gandolfi, Glenroy Watson, Stefan Melnyk, Josie Toussaint-Pinnock, Becky Crocker, Sean Geogeghan, Bob McMunn, Clara Osagiede, Keith Saunders

In attendance: Steve Hedley (Regional Organiser), Olly New (Council of Executives member)

Apologies for absence: Neil Cochrane, Mick Crossey, Vaughan Thomas, Linda Wiles

Janine and Steve welcomed Keith Saunders to his first meeting, as London Overground members are now part of London Transport Region. Keith introduced himself; Janine reported on the meeting of London Overground reps that had just taken place and plans that it had made.

1. Organisation and recruitment

Dave stressed the importance of tomorrow's recruitment and organising day (meet 10am, Unity House); the need to recruit and update details; the need to know what is going on with the dispute; LUL management's attempts to obstruct our efforts.

There were several comments on this, including the need for legal advice about LUL's email to managers.

Glenroy reported on developments with cleaners, with GBM's contract being transferred to Initial, who are to further sub-contract it to ICS. Janine and Clara had discussed holding a demonstration, which was agreed as follows: Wednesday 18 November, 12:00-14:00, Templar House.

2. Regional Organiser's Report

Steve reported on:

  • LUL dispute; ACAS talks; delay with ballot
  • his request to the General Secretary for a Relief Regional Organiser to be allocated to dealing with buses and cleaners within our region
  • Battersea bus workers' request for a ballot
  • Alstom ballot
  • London Overground

Points raised in discussion included:

  • inadequacy of LUL offer on medical redeployment
  • senior managers getting £5k+ in lieu of car allowance
  • tomorrow's recruitment and organisation day

3. Council of Executives report

Olly reported on:

  • EDF Powerlink judgment
  • Hammersmith depot ballot re rosters
  • Willesden Green ballot re dismissal
  • Woolwich Ferry ballot

Points raised in discussion:

  • need to challenge the anti-union laws
  • possible timescales for ballot
  • possibility of naming strikes without ballot? reply: probable legal problems with that too!
  • need to circulate report on talks
  • LUL's attempt to pay back pay as lump sum to TSSA members / nons
  • ASLEF referendum recommending acceptance

The Executive instructed the Secretary to write a strongly-worded letter to the General Secretary about the delays to our ballot.

4. Resolutions to next Regional Council meeting

Resolutions from branches: - Service Control Apprentices (Neasden) - accepted - Solidarity with Workers in Iran (Camden 3) - accepted - General Election (Camden 3) - accepted

Resolution from Regional Council Executive, proposed by Cleaning Grades Committee - agreed:

In the light of resolutions passed at AGMs to support our members in the cleaning grades and oppose exploitation of migrant workers and in recognition of the facts that:

  1. Most of our cleaning members are from ethnic minorities.
  2. The various cleaning and other companies have used immigration rules to systematically exploit those who have organised in trade unions.

London Transport Regional Council calls on the Council of Executives to instruct the General Secretary to: A. write to the members of our Parliamentary group with a view to embarking on a campaign to win an amnesty for our cleaning grade members who are deemed to be working here illegally. B. write to the General Secretaries of Unite, Unison and any other unions who have had members similarly exploited, inviting their support for our campaign.

5. Implementing decisions of last Regional Council meeting

- To re-submit resolution on Young Members' Advisory Committee - done

- To hold recruitment and organising day, 11 November - going ahead tomorrow

- Resolution - National Express East Coast - submitted to General Secretary

- Resolution - Standing Up to the Bosses' Clampdown: we agreed to:

  • ensure that the seminars are of practical benefit to union reps
  • include seminars on sickness absence, and on mystery shoppers
  • write to Trades Councils (Janine)
  • write to contacts in other trade unions in London (Janine)
  • convene a steering group to organise the seminars (Jackie)

- Resolution - Strategy for Defending Station and Revenue Jobs: we agreed to:

  • obtain copies of waiting lists (level 1 stations reps)
  • produce a model grievance
  • obtain Staff-Side Secretary's right to access waiting lists via SAP (Malcolm)
  • produce a guide to reporting incidents (Stations Safety Council reps)
  • include an incident reporting form on RMT Platform and RMT London Calling websites (Janine)
  • build alliances with community groups
  • appoint one Safety Council rep to take responsibility for this campaign (Stations Safety Council reps)
  • appoint one representative from each other function to take responsbility for this campaign (Trains Council reps, MATS Council reps, Service Control reps, engineering reps)
  • appoint the following to the campaign's steering committee: Janine Booth, John Kelly, Malcolm Taylor, Becky Crocker, Pat O'Brien, Tony Gandolfi

- Resolution - CWU Dispute - submitted to General Secretary

- Resolution - Vestas, Copenhagen and Green Jobs

  • submitted to General Secretary
  • publicise 5 December demonstration (Janine)
  • write to Plymouth Trades Council (Janine)

6. Other business

  1. Stations Safety Council election (Tony) - Camden 3 has made a complaint to the General Secretary regarding the incorrect conduct of this election. The Regional Council Executive agreed to support this complaint.
  2. Attendance at Regional Council meetings (Janine) - agreed to discuss as second item at next month's Regional Council Executive meeting.
  3. Christmas social (Janine) - agreed to ask Brenda Sutton to organise; if she is unwilling, Glenroy will organise.
  4. Training workshops (Janine) - feedback requested and given. Agreed to:
    • not hold a training workshop in December
    • each month, a particular rep to run the workshop and take responsibility for building attendance
    • hold a workshop on disciplinaries, appeals, etc
    • ask branch secretaries to promote to reps, especially those branch secretaries who are unresponsive to email
  5. Finsbury Park branch AGM (Glenroy) - 20 November, all welcome.
  6. Cleaners' demo (Clara) - demand is that cleaning be brought inhouse.
  7. Incidents on stations (Pat) - in one incident, a member was threatened with a police warning after being assaulted!
  8. Young Members' Conference (Adrian)
    • errors in mailing
    • reminder: get resolutions in by 14 December
    • Becky has organised resolution-writing workshop, 25 November, 14:30-16:30, Unity House
  9. Employment Act 2008 (Becky) - head office has still not carried out decision to organise training and provide information - Janine to ask to meet the General Secretary to discuss this.