Regional Council minutes 26/2/09

ATTENDANCE

  • Bakerloo branch - Malcolm Taylor, Sean Geoghegan
  • Camden no.3 branch - Pat O'Brien, Mick Crossey, John Reid, Geoff Palmer, Gerard Vickers, Becky Crocker, Tony Gandolfi
  • Central Line West branch - Paul Beirne, Vaughan Thomas (chair), Stefan Melnyk
  • DLR branch - Les Sime, Chris Ives
  • East Ham branch - Chris Baillie, Gary Woolf
  • Finsbury Park branch - John Kelly, Mark Walters, Neil Cochrane, Dave Rayfield, Dean O'Hanlon, Frank Curtis, Glenroy Watson, Clara Osagiede
  • LU Fleet branch - Bill Teale, Tony Carter Leay, Kieran Crowe
  • Hammersmith & City branch - Josie Toussaint-Pinnock
  • Jubilee South & East London Line branch - Lynda Aitken, Elaine Holness
  • LU Engineering branch - Vernon Shaw, Andy Littlechild, Jim King, Paul O'Brien, Jackie Darby, L Donaldson, Lewis Peacock, Frank Murray
  • Morden & Oval branch - Bob McMunn, Paul Geer
  • Neasden branch - Jared Wood
  • Piccadilly & District West branch - Olly New, Gwyn Pugh, Michael Livingstone
  • Retired Members' branch - Ted Richardson
  • Stratford no.1 branch - Adrian Finney, Unjum Mirza, Janine Booth (secretary), Peter Heyes, Yvonne Duncan
  • TfL no.1 branch - Carol Foster, Paul Rutland, Lindsey Rutland, Linda Wiles, Roy Carey

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Brian Munro, Eamonn Lynch, Brian Haughian, Arwyn Thomas, Craig Diggins

2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

Proposed by Morden & Oval, seconded by TfL no.1 - agreed as accurate

3. MATTERS ARISING from the minutes of the previous meeting

Janine Booth announced the reception for Tamar Katz, Israeli army refuser, to be held at the Twelve Pins, Finsbury Park, on Thursday 5 March, 7-9pm

4. REGIONAL COUNCIL OFFICERS’ ELECTIONS 2009

The following had been elected as unopposed nominees when advance nominations closed:

  • President - Vaughan Thomas (Central Line West)
  • Vice President - Linda Wiles (TfL no.1)
  • Secretary - Janine Booth (Stratford no.1)
  • Assistant Secretary - Lewis Peacock (LU Engineering)
  • Financial Secretary - Damien Franklin (Neasden)
  • Membership Officer - Dave Rayfield (Finsbury Park)
  • Political Officer - Unjum Mirza (Stratford no.1)
  • Young Members Officer - Becky Crocker (Camden no.3)
  • LGBT Officer - Brian Haughian (Piccadilly & District West)
  • Executive members - Clara Osagiede (Finsbury Park); Will Reid (Finsbury Park); Michael Hyde (Bakerloo); Pat O’Brien (Camden no.3); John Reid (Camden no.3)

The following were elected unopposed at the meeting

  • Women’s Officer - Carol Foster (TfL no.1) - nominated TfL no.1, seconded H&C
  • LUL Learner Reps Co-ordinator - Bjorn Bradshaw-Murray (Finsbury Park) - nominated Finsbury Park, seconded Piccadillly & District West
  • Trustees - Frank Curtis (Finsbury Park); Glenroy Watson (Finsbury Park) - both nominated Finsbury Park, seconded Piccadilly & District West
  • Auditors - Jared Wood (Neasden) - nominated Neasden, seconded Bakerloo; Ross Marshall (Central Line West) - nominated Central Line West, seconded H&C
  • Executive members:
    • Josie Toussaint-Pinnock (Hammersmith & City) - nominated TfL no.1
    • Paul Rutland (TfL no.1) - nominated TfL no.1
    • Arwyn Thomas (Morden & Oval branch) - nominated Morden & Oval
    • Neil Hodgson (Piccadilly & District West) - nominated Piccadilly & District West
    • Steve Reeley (Piccadilly & District West) - nominated Piccadilly & District West
    • John Kelly (Finsbury Park) - nominated Stratford no.1
    • Jackie Darby (LU Engineering) - nominated LU Engineering
    • Neil Cochrane (Finsbury Park) - nominated Finsbury Park
    • Bob McMunn (Morden & Oval) - nominated Morden & Oval
    • Malcolm Taylor (Bakerloo) - nominated Camden no.3
    • Jon Abdullah (Central Line West) - nominated Finsbury Park

The following vacancies remained, to be filled at the next meeting:

  • Black & Ethnic Minority Members’ Officer
  • one Executive member

5. RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Dave Rayfield reported on today’s recruitment and retention activity in Camden no.3 branch’s area. There was a good turnout form the branch, but not from elsewhere. ‘RMT London Calling’ newsletter went down well. Branches should give Dave dates for R&R days. We need more reps and activists to attend R&R training days.

Camden no.3 branch thanked those who took part today.

6. COUNCIL OF EXECUTIVES REPORT

Olly New reported on:

  • Tim O’Toole’s resignation
  • Industrial action ballots: mainline TOCs, Piccadilly line drivers, Willesden Green group - all results due on 17 March
  • Derrick Marrs success at Interim Relief hearing
  • Tyne & Wear Metro PPP
  • RMTV
  • DB Schenker and CBSO ballot defeats
  • LUL/TfL job cuts and ‘Jobs for Life’ deal
  • Sacking of Fred Dappah, cleaner rep at Hammersmith
  • G20 demonstration, 28 March
  • TUAEUC plan to stand in Euro election

Questions/points raised in discussion:

  • Is Willesden Green group GSM the former North Greenwich TOM? Reply: Yes.
  • Organisational Change Process.
  • Has the Pensioners Day of Action been discussed by the Executive? Reply - may come up next week during Statutory Executive week.
  • Who are the AGM delegates from our region? Reply - 2 fewer candidates than places, so all elected, and now a by-election.
  • Various views on Euro elections, some urging broader working-class basis not narrow anti-Europeanism, others urging support. Reply - Olly will support the TUAEUC election campaign, but will also argue for broad working-class content.
  • £5 minimum trial / Use of MSS reports to bully ticket sellers - head office must not veto our non-cooperation on the basis of tenuous legal fears. Reply - £5 trial is part of bigger, job-threatening picture - re legal fears, will argue appropriately at Executive.
  • Job cuts - Other unions eg. in car industry, are letting members down over job cuts; at least RMT is fighting.

Brother New was thanked in the usual manner.

7. REGIONAL ORGANISER'S REPORT

Steve Hedley reported on:

  • CBSO ballot - need to learn lessons, including need to respond more quickly to sackings
  • London Overground
  • Willesden Green group
  • £5 minimum trial - legal fears are silly; should not be told what to do by TSSA officials; we could get good press coverage, but press release is currently vetoed
  • Pay - there is real concern especially among lower-paid grades
  • ‘Jobs for Life’ - TSSA has signed off OCP, which allows compulsory redundancies
  • Job cuts talks

Points from discussion:

  • Yes, bring pay and jobs issues together in joint fight
  • 15 jobs to go in Service Control
  • Workers should not pay for the bosses’ crisis; we are well-organised, so should fight

Steve Hedley replied, emphasising the importance of socialist politics.

8. RESOLUTIONS

1. Loss of earnings when representing Alstom members Proposed: LU Fleet - Seconded: Hammersmtih & City

Within the L U Fleet Branch there are no problems representing members who work for Tube Lines and Metronet. However there is often a problem with appropriate representation where Alsthom is concerned, especially when it comes to the more difficult areas where a more experienced rep is necessary.
Whilst we have many reps from Tube Lines and Metronet who are prepared to take on these roles they are not entitled to release from their respective employers and so the burden of loss of earnings falls to the Branch.
In previous years the Branch has done its best to cover these costs. However due to the increase in these types of representations it is no longer financially feasible for this to continue.
L U Fleet Branch call upon the council of executives to agree to reimburse our Tube Lines and Metronet representatives loss of earnings when representing members who work for other companies and would therefore not be entitled to paid release.

Contributions from delegates from: TfL no.1 (against); LU Engineering (in favour); LU Engineering (against), Finsbury Park (against)Vote: 3 in favour; 9 against; 2 abstentions
Defeated

2. Political representation, Proposed: DLR - Seconded: TfL no.1

Although we have a very pro-active parliamentary lobby group of 40 to 50 MPs, they can be hopelessly outnumbered (about 6-1) by MPs guided by other interests and influences.
In stark contrast, trade unionists alone outnumber those in power.
But the potential for us to become the meat and muscle on the skeletal political and democratic frame is far from being realised – a situation that benefits the powerful and greedy immensely.
We seriously need people with vision and integrity in politics to ensure proper and fair representation for all people in the coming hard times. People that can balance the interests of business with our social needs, while steering our nation to a more sustainable future.

Following the proposing speech, TfL no.1 asked to withdraw their seconding of the resolution. The President ruled that this could not be done.Contributions from delegates from: Morden & Oval (against); Retired Members

Vote: 1 in favour; 11 against; 2 abstentions
Defeated

EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS

1. ‘Blame the bosses’, from LU Fleet and TfL no.1

The President ruled that this did not constitute an emergency and so would be discussed as an ordinary resolution at March’s meeting. The proposing branches agreed.

2. Request for ballot, from TfL no.1, seconded Hammersmith & City

This Branch calls upon the RMT Executive to call a strike ballot of all members in Metronet (London Underground) if the following demand is not met.
We require a written guarantee from Metronet (London Underground) that they recognise and accept that we have a no compulsory redundancy agreement under the PPP Code of Practice and therefore will not impose any compulsory redundancies on Metronet (London Underground) staff.

3. Metronet & LUL pay & conditions, from LU Engineering, seconded Camden no.3

This branch notes that now Metronet have been brought back into TfL that there is a concerted effort to crush the RMT and end its hard fought agreements. This has involved:
· Attempts to sack/ discipline our reps
· Refusal to talk about pay. We believe that this is based on a deliberate tactic by the bosses in the face falling RPI figures.
· The use of Private Covert Security Teams to monitor staff
· Attempts to de-recognise representatives
· Refusal to honour the PPP Code of Best Practice (‘Jobs for Life Deal’)
· Refusal to honour the existing Machinery of Negotiation
The list is never ending and this branch believes that the time has come to take the fight to the bosses. We want our regional organiser to:
1. Demand Company Councils for both LUL and Metronet. Our pay claims were submitted in Dec and we demand that talks are finalised by early March
2. We demand that the ‘Jobs for Life’ deal is honoured for all staff
Should our reasonable demands NOT be met by early March, then we call on the Council of Executives to ballot all ex-Metronet and LUL staff for strike action and action short of strike.

4. Metronet redundancies, from LU Fleet, seconded Finsbury Park

This branch believes that TfL/LUL are jumping on the bandwagon of the recession, using it as an excuse to cut jobs. If we let the company get away with cutting admin/non operational grades, it will set a precedent, and have a double negative effect. A) it will make everyone’s life harder as all admin jobs are vital to the safe operating of the railway and the care of the employees themselves and B) it will make it easier for them to slash operational jobs.
We are an all grades union, and this is now being tested by the company. This is our chance to prove to TfL/LUL that we will back our members 100%.
We totally oppose these announced job cuts, even if there are no compulsory redundancies, as they will contribute to unemployment, increase workload of those remaining and damage services.
We resolve to: (with the help of the LTRC)
1) Demand that TfL/LUL open their books and allow full scrutiny of all financial information, by the unions and the public, so that we can challenge their financial justification for these job cuts.
2) Follow up the recent protest at 55 Broadway with a series of similar actions.
3) Provide top-quality support, information and representation to our existing members.
4) Run an urgent recruitment drive amongst the grades affected.
5) Run a public campaign opposing job cuts
6) Take industrial action as and when necessary
7) Convene a campaign committee to assist with the work, bringing together existing Metronet Strike Committee, Reps from the TfL Branch, and all other volunteers, to be sought at the next Regional Council Meeting.
We call for the ballot for industrial action on the grounds of job cuts, the pay and TfL’s disgraceful behaviour towards RMT Reps and members.

Emergency resolutions 2, 3 and 4 were debated together. Following the proposing and seconding speeches, the following points were raised in discussion:

Clarify that passing LU Fleet resolution will not mean we have a Metronet-only ballot. Importance of demand to ‘Open The Books’. Support proposal for rank-and-file campaign committee. We should co-ordinate action with the mainline TOCs. There are loads of managers managing other managers, but these are not the jobs on the line!

Vote:
Emergency resolution 2: unanimously passed
Emergency resolution 3: unanimously passed
Emergency resolution 4: unanimously passed

We accepted the following nominations for the campaign committee established by emergency resolution 2: Tony Gandolfi, Unjum Mirza, John Reid, Janine Booth, Gwyn Pugh, Pat O’Brien, Becky Crocker

5. G20 demonstation, from LU Fleet, seconded Stratford no.1.

The leaders of the world’s most powerful nations will meet in London in April.
They come together against a backdrop of world slump, war and rising anger at the nightmare they have created.
The point of the G20 is meant to be to find solutions – but world leaders are running out of ideas. They aim to make workers pay for the crisis.
“Put People First” is the slogan through which the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has helped initiate a coalition involving unions, leading charities and anti-poverty campaigns.
It has called a march on Saturday 28 March, just days before Gordon Brown will host a summit meeting of the G20 leaders in London.
Also, the Stop the War Coalition and others are planning protests later the same week over Nato plans to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
This Branch/Region resolves:
To support and mobilise for the march on Saturday 28th March and participate in protests organised by Stop the War Coalition and others.
To call on the CofE to advertise and mobilise for the march and protests to all branches and on our website.
During discussion, it was suggested that the region audit which branches have banners. Olly New reported that the union nationally is carrying out such an audit.

Unanimously passed.

6. Youth Fight for Jobs, from TfL no.1, seconded Neasden

More than three million are expected to be unemployed by the end of 2009. Young people are among the first to be thrown on the scrapheap. Currently, 40% of those losing their jobs are between 18 and 24.
The Youth Fight for Jobs campaign calls for a programme of government job creation and for an end to job losses. It is campaigning around three main demands, for the right to a decent job for all, with a living wage of at least £8 an hour. No to cheap labour apprenticeships! For all apprenticeships to pay at least the minimum wage, with a job guaranteed at the end. No to university fees. Support the Campaign to Defeat Fees.
This Region resolves to
• Support the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign and add our name to the list of sponsors.
• Sponsor a protester on the march for jobs called by Youth Fight for Jobs, taking place on April 2 to the G20. To donate £100 to the campaign.
• Aid and actively build the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign.
• Build for the TUC demonstration on March 28 against the G20.
• Send a youth delegate to the Youth Fight for Jobs launch conference.

Unanimously passed.

7. Management bullying of staff, from East Ham branchThe President ruled that this did not constitute an emergency and so would be discussed as an ordinary resolution at March’s meeting. The proposing branch agreed.

9. CORRESPONDENCE
From Frank Murray, re Regional Council delegates to Black & Ethnic Minority Members Conference. It was agreed that the following would be delegates: Frank Murray, Glenroy Watson, Elaine Holness, Mark Walters.

10. REPORTS
Glenroy Watson reported on preparations for the Black & Ethnic Minority Members’ Conference, and proposed the production of commemorative T-shirts. Agreed in principle - referred to Executive for further discussion.

11. PROGRESS ON PREVIOUS RESOLUTIONS
Mark Walters asked about previous resolutions on Tetra radio waves. Olly New replied that this would come up at the Statutory Executive meeting the following week.