Feb 2013 London Calling Newsletter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 3 February, 2013 - 20:44

FIGHT AGAINST JOB CUTS

Members should already be in receipt of the broadsheet, "We Can Stop Job Cuts". This outlines how we lost over 800 jobs between March 2011 & March 2012, while passenger numbers have soared to record levels. The Broadsheet details all the arguments of our Union to maintain a fully staffed, publicly owned and integrated transport system.

Cuts Cost Lives - Staff Save Lives

Submitted by Admin on 3 February, 2013 - 16:05

CUTS COST LIVES ... STAFF SAVE LIVES

RMT has warned that London Underground was planning to plunge the tube system into the same lethal cocktail of safety cuts and automation that led to nine people being killed on the Washington DC Red Line service in 2009.

  • In June 2009, a rush-hour crash on the Washington DC metro killed nine people, including the operator. It was caused by failure of the automated system, and the Washington Post called it “the price of parsimony” after numerous near-misses went unheeded against a background of cuts to maintenance
    schedules and inspections.

They Say - We Say

Submitted by Admin on 3 February, 2013 - 15:58

They say: New technology means that London Underground needs fewer staff.

We say: New technology can improve London Underground if it is used alongside staff, not instead of us. But LUL is developing technology specifically for the purpose of getting rid of jobs - this is the rationale behind driverless trains or 'wave and pay'. LUL should develop different technology that works effectively with staff to improve the service.

Current plans for technology will worsen the service, increase unemployment and are a waste of public money.

Thermal Comfort & Cold Stress Survey For London Underground Station Staff

Submitted by Admin on 3 February, 2013 - 02:56

RMT Health & Safety rep Julie Miller is investigating the affect cold weather has on us at work and whether thermal wear will improve our working conditions

Click 'Read More' to complete the survey

Thermal Comfort is defined in British Standard BS EN ISO 7730 as: ‘that condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.’

So the term ‘Thermal Comfort’ describes a person’s psychological state of mind and is usually referred to in terms of whether someone is feeling too hot or too cold.

This survey will only look at the impact the cold weather has on staff. With your help, I will provide evidence that the cold and windy environment you have to work in has a detrimental affect on your physical and psychological well being.

Companies and grades: 
LUL Stations
London Underground Ltd

LabourtStart Act Now Campaign:Support Sacked Agency Workers

Submitted by Admin on 2 February, 2013 - 15:40

Thirty-three agency staff working on London Underground, some for as long as five years, were told just before Christmas that the contract with their agency, Trainpeople, had been ended, and that they would lose their jobs in January.

The workers had joined RMT and campaigned successfully for equal pay with permanent staff, but the contract was then terminated without warning and London Underground told them that applications for direct employment would not be considered, making a mockery of Agency Worker Regulations that are supposed to protect their rights.

RMT up front issue 26

Submitted by Joffe on 2 February, 2013 - 08:32

Attached is the latest edition of RMT Up front. This edition focuses on the Ballot for action short of strike action on the Jubillee Line. There are also reports on the Bakerloo detrainment dispute and issues for drivers on the new S Stock.

Main stories follow:

Jubilee Line drivers to be balloted over the removal of tunnel telephone wires

Last year Management informed safety reps on the Jubilee Line that there were problems in the tunnel between Baker St and Bond Street Stations on the south bound road caused by water ingress which would entail a job major of work.