LUL Trains

As we enter week two of RMT`s and ASLEF’s dispute with London Underground over their unsafe detrainment procedure we are happy to inform you that the action on the ground by drivers remains solid. Drivers are united and determined to force Bakerloo management to introduce a safe procedure for detrainment at terminus locations.

Week two of our dispute has generated a letter from Mr Lance Ramsey, the General Manger of the Bakerloo Line to drivers expressing his view that “the safety of our staff and customers is our top priority.” Let’s take a closer look at this claim.

This is the first part of a two part article taken from our newsletter on fighting job cuts. You can download it from here or request copies here

LUL management’s actions are creating problems for staff in all functions. RMT will be producing a series of leaflets giving detail, information and advice for members in each area. Here is a summary:

Stations
Station staff have been hammered since OSP slashed staffing level. Even if some posts are restored, management’s plan is to stretch us further and work us even harder.
To prepare for this, management are leaving duties uncovered, vacancies unfilled and station unstaffed, and repeatedly try to get staff to work outside the rules.

Tube drivers on the Bakerloo Line enter second week of industrial action for safety.

Angry Bakerloo passengers have tweeted:

“Bakerloo line has been just an appalling service all week. I leave my house earlier and earlier each day and appear to get to work later!!”

“I would rather hop everywhere than have to get on the Bakerloo Line again.”

“Is there any refund procedure for continuous delays to your service? Bakerloo line is an absolute joke at the moment.”

With over 3000 passenger overcarries into the Queens Park sidings last year, culminating in the near fatality of a 12 year old boy in October, drivers are physically checking that trains are empty of passengers before moving trains into sidings.

At yesterdays Health & Safety tier 2 meeting it was agreed that on TBTC lines when working a train out of service station skip would not be used and T/Ops would manually start trains at every station.

At the present time when auto is not permitted T/Ops drive in protected manual and we maintained that this should remain the case.

Management suggested that T/Ops could have a choice to either work the train in auto or PM and we have said we will take this away and discuss with the Reps on the lines concerned.

REMOVAL OF TUNNEL TELEPHONE WIRES – JUBILEE LINE

We note the resolution from our Neasden branch and the support expressed by representatives from Jubilee South branch. We share our branches’ horror at London Underground’s plan to operate trains on the Jubilee Line north of Bond Street without tunnel telephone wires for a period of up to 4 years. Tunnel telephone wires play an essential safety role, both in facilitating communication and in discharging traction current in an emergency.

We instruct the General Secretary to conduct a ballot of all our Jubilee line driver members for action short of strike action, with a view to drivers taking action including refusing to drive trains in passenger service through tunnel sections without tunnel telephone wires or suitable alternative protection.

We note the resolution from our Neasden branch and share our branch’s concern at London Underground Ltd’s failure to compel its contractor, Thales, to repair signalling irregularities at Neasden Depot.

This is not an acceptable way for the company to conduct its upgrades, not only causing problems for our members at work but also potentially endangering both staff and passengers.

United action by ASLEF and RMT drivers for safety on the Bakerloo Line has been rock solid and has hit LU hard. So much so, that LU are not allowing the control room to manage the service in the best interest of passengers or the service. A diktat from senior LU bosses has stated that a ‘special service’ is not to be implemented and management have been placed in the control room to ensure that control room staff abide by this. They are intentionally out to sabotage the best running of the trains to make drivers suffer.

We note the report from our Regional Organiser, attaching a report from our LU Trains Upgrades representative.

We instruct the General Secretary to seek confirmation that the letter to London Underground Ltd instructed by our decision Gww 18 December 2012 has been sent, and to place any reply in front of us.

We link this file with LUL/0005 MACHINERY OF NEGOTIATION AND CONSULTATION – LONDON UNDERGROUND

London Transport Regional Council and branches to be advised.

Industrial action for a safer detrainment procedure on the Bakerloo starts Tuesday 15th of January until further notice. All trains going into sidings or depots should be physically detrained to ensure no overcarries.

Some important points to remember:

• Always be in the correct position at the correct time for your pick up.

• If you are the relieving driver, inform the driver you are relieving that you will be physically detraining as per industrial action to ensure no overcarries.

We note the report from our Regional Organiser.

We further note that our LU Trains Council representatives are having further discussions this week concerning ASLEF’s Boxing Day dispute, and instruct the General Secretary to obtain a report of these discussions and place it in front of us.

London Transport Regional Council and branches to be advised.