STAFF WORKING directly for Transport for London will go ahead with strike action on Sunday over the total and abject failure of the organisation to offer any kind of recognition and reward for the huge increase in workload and pressure arising from the extended Olympics period and for attempting to impose changes to working conditions and a unilateral ban on annual leave in some departments.
Deepest in the trough was National Express boss Ray O’Toole, whose 110 per cent pay hike took him to £1.3 million.
The bosses of the ‘big five’ private transport operators have pocketed an average £1 million each in pay, bagging an aggregate pay rise worth a shade shy of 20 per cent, according to their most recent company accounts, a study by transport union RMT reveals today.
As bus and rail passengers face fares hikes of a minimum of six per cent and service cuts, the news that transport bosses have followed the city trend to give themselves bumper pay packages will be greeted with anger and dismay, the union says.
TUBE UNION RMT announced today that it is to ballot all London Underground members for action short of a strike over the issue of the company using ill-trained and unqualified Incident Customer Service Assistants (ICSA’s) to make up minimum numbers at stations.
RMT has warned that not only is the policy dangerous but it is also in breach of the 2008 agreement that ended the casualisation dispute. The issue will be particularly relevant over the Olympics period when unprecedented numbers of people will be using the tube
RMT response on Serco "Boris bikes" Olympics payment.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said;
"There is no Olympics payment agreement for the vast majority of the Serco bikes staff who are members of the RMT and we remain in dispute with the company.
"RMT is by far the biggest union on the Boris bikes and regardless of what others might be saying the issue of recognition is being dealt with by the TUC disputes procedure and we are continuing to both recruit and to fight for a fair deal for the Serco Barclays workforce for the Olympics and beyond."
RAIL UNION RMT today registered its total opposition to last minute Olympics rail proposals which the union says are designed to cut corners on existing safety procedures in the event of a broken down train with potentially lethal consequences.
At today’s Traffic Operations Management Standards Committee (TOM SC) proposals were bounced on union reps for temporary working arrangements for failed trains for the duration of the Olympics.
OLYMPICS 2012 – LONDON OVERGROUND
Your unions’ negotiating team has been holding talks with London Overground to discuss the proposals put forward by management with regards working and payment arrangements for our members in the run up to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I can report that a final agreement has been reached.
ON THE first full day of the RMT AGM in Torquay delegates are set to hear reports from the continuing fight for Olympics payments at three major train operators and Transport for London.
Although RMT has secured fair payments at a number of companies including Network Rail, Virgin Trains, London Overground. Heathrow Express, DLR and London Underground the union is in dispute and balloting at three key TOC's - South West Trains, Greater Anglia and First Great Western - and has announced industrial action for centrally employed TFL staff.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
TAXI UNION RMT today demanded that Olympics chiefs take a fresh look at their transport arrangements for the entire games period and that they factor in the crucial role that could be played by London’s existing fleet of licensed taxis
The “Get Ahead of the Games” site talks about the disabled accessing public transport but excludes the one vehicle that is fully "on demand" and disability ready, the London Taxi.
"It is a scandal that this group of fellow transport workers have been kicked in the teeth by TFL and the bus companies when it comes to a fair reward for the extra work load generated by the Olympics" - Bob Crow
TUBE AND RAIL UNION RMT warned today of a “massive impact” on services on Friday as millions of passengers try to find alternative means of travel as a result of the bus workers strike for Olympics pay justice.
This morning, Central Line services were again reduced to chaos due to a signal failure at Liverpool Street as the harsh reality that the network can barely cope with routine demand after successive waves of cuts to maintenance and staffing, let alone a surge in passenger numbers from either the bus workers action or the Olympics, was laid bare.
At the same time as the RMT calls for London Underground to return to ACAS regarding the recent dispute over the union's interpretation of the 'Olympic agreement', South West Train members are heading toward Industrial action as bosses there renege on Olympic agreements.
RMT to ballot South West Trains staff
RAIL UNION RMT announced today that is to ballot staff on South West Trains for industrial action after the company reneged on Olympics agreements linked to this year’s pay settlement and attempted to impose a new regime that would force staff to work longer hours on extended services for nothing in return for the entire duration of the games.