News, reports and information for London Underground train drivers
Your Trains Safety Council reps write ... The letter below from HM Inspector of Railways to London Underground raises serious concerns about how seriously LU treats the safety of its staff and passengers alike. The Rule Book has been thrown out the window and safety systems after a SPAD have been ignored. Please bring this letter to the attention of all our members.
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Bakerloo line drivers were subject to what can only be described as keystone cops style of management during the first day of this weekend’s shutdown.
Seemingly making it up on the hoof, management instructed drivers to keep trains in service even when failing the trip cock tester.
Apparently the requirement for a second person in the cab was sufficient to run a safe railway.
This goes against all the basic principles we are taught when joining LUL!
As part of the RMT pay claim this year it was proposed that medical redeployment would mean that any member of staff who was for medical reasons unable to do their current job would be given at least one other job offer. Management have agreed to discuss this with us. The same proposals were forwarded by other unions. The only union that did not submit medical redeployment as part of their pay claim was ASLEF.
Below is a list of 2009 pay awards for train drivers. This information certainly puts LUL's measly 1.5% - and even worse, 0.5% next year - into perspective!
A notice giving this information is attached - please download and circulate to all drivers.
Support Kevin
Ballot papers have now gone out with regard to Kevin Dobinson’s sacking. As you know Kevin was sacked for an aggravated SPAD that he owned up to. Drivers on the line were shocked at the severity of Kevin’s punishment, most thinking that at worse Kevin would have been dipped for what he did. This has led to rumours that Kevin’s past record most have been a factor in his sacking. This is not so. Kevin has never had an aggravated SPAD before, or indeed any other serious safety incident.
This memo from London Underground management, dated 16 July 2009, outlines the arrangements for clip-on sunglasses for drivers who wear specs.
Reminder Of Arrangements For The Issue Of Clip-On Sunglasses To Spectacle-Wearing Train Operators
In 2002, in order to assist spectacle-wearing Train Operators to better manage glare whilst driving, the Trains Health and Safety Council endorsed the issue of clip-on sunglasses. Arrangements were put in place for those spectacle-wearing Train Operators who wanted them, to be issued with free made-to-measure clip-on sunglasses via the Department of Optometry at City University.
Introducing the new newsletter for train drivers on London Underground.
Click on the attachment to download "RMT up front".
Circular No. IR/222/09
RMT is to ballot all Bakerloo Line Drivers for both strike action and industrial action short of a strike in support of a dismissed colleague, Kevin Dobinson. Ballot papers will dispatched direct to members’ homes on 30th July 2009 with the closing date for returns being Wednesday 12th August 2009.
It seem that our Train Operator members on the Bakerloo are furious at Kevin’s dismissal and over 160 of them have signed a petition telling management exactly that. Kevin was sacked for a SPAD that he owned up to. It was an aggravated SPAD largely caused by Kevin being preoccupied with personal problems. Furthermore it was the sort of incident that had occurred before on the Underground yet other people hadn’t been sacked.
A regular monthly meeting for RMT reps and activists in London Underground train grades to discuss workplace issues and union organisation.
Venue: Unity House (RMT head office), 39 Chalton Street, London NW1
LOCAL REPS STAND FIRM AGAINST MANAGEMENT TRICKS
As you might be aware, management are continuing to bully and harass staff by making up new rules as they go along and by ignoring long-standing agreements with your union. This, of course, has helped to bring about the dispute we are now in with the company across the whole combine. At Arnos Grove depot, management have been trying out a few tricks of their own (see below); fortunately, our local reps have stood firm and refused to allow local management to brush aside agreements and staff rights.