LUL staff back 35-hour week

UNITED: In the RMT family from left to right Sue Curtis, Cheryl Bendle, Dee Poroga, Solomon Agyeman and Abisoye Olaniyan all from Kings Cross branch. LONDON and Anglia region’s lead recruiter Derrick Marr, who started his railway career as a catering worker 21 years ago, met the GNER catering team featured en-route to the RMT branch and regional secretaries conference in Fort William earlier this year. He furnished them all with badges, pens and key rings. Derrick was especially pleased as he had only recently been involved in his region’s recruitment and organising week where he came across a non-RMT organised Anglia Railways on-train catering crew. As he questioned the reasons why they were not in a union, Derrick pointed out that for catering workers in general, working in a kitchen was dangerous enough what with all the sharp utensils and boiling hot foods and drinks. But then to put that kitchen in a narrow train carriage, on a railway track and then travelling at speeds of 100 mph, the propensity for accidents and injuries was obvious. Fortunately, due to some fine recruitment work by RMT activists in the Norwich branch, the situation for catering workers within Anglia Railways, now part of the ‘One’ Train Operating Company, is much improved as the majority are now members of RMT. RMT news – Essential reading for today ’s transport worker 6 THE groundbreaking deal negotiated by RMT that gives all full-time station and revenue control staff 52 days’ leave has won overwhelming support. Nearly 100 per cent of members voting accepted the deal in a referendum. The offer also means a further hour off the working week, giving station and revenue control staff the best 35-hour agreement of any grade of staff on LUL, or on any other UK train-operating company. Under the deal, the current average of 38.5 hours per week will be reduced by one hour to 37.5 hours. Of these 37.5 hours, 2.5 hours will be ‘banked’ and added to annual leave entitlement. That means an extra 15 days’ leave a year, bringing the total, including bank holidays, to 52 days’ leave each year – real quality time away from work, and a true 35-hour week agreement. Part-time staff will gain a substantial increase in their hourly rates of pay, and for the first time having the opportunity to apply for part-time station supervisor positions. RMT London regional organiser Bobby Law said that the latest offer had only come about as a direct result of the unity shown by RMT members. He pointed out that previous management proposals would have meant the axing of more than 800 station staff positions and PPP contractors carrying out booking on duties and opening and closing stations. “It was only after industrial action by RMT that management agreed to drop these demands and other unacceptable productivity strings – and we have the documents to prove it,” he said. The new agreement means that the threat to 500 jobs has been removed, and although 200 SAMF posts will be withdrawn, any member of staff displaced will be covered by normal redeployment protection arrangements. It was also agreed for staff to work all night on up to three occasions every year, similar to the agreement already in place for train staff. Discussions will also take place with Transport for London and the London mayor on extending Friday and Saturday night services by one hour and starting later the next day. The deal infuriated Tory Greater London Assembly member Roger Evans so much that he made hysterical demands in the media for a blanket ban on industrial action on the Tube (see page 33). Tube station staff backs 35-hour week deal RMT catering for staff Young members in Monaco Nick Quirk reports on a recent European youth conference attended by RMT young members RMT YOUTH award winner Yvonne McMurtrie, Steve Graham and Nick Quirk were the three rail workers from the RMT young members’ organisation to take part in the 2004 European youth conference in Monaco. The conference was designed to teach German, Croatian and British young trade unionists how each of their countries rail systems worked as well as teaching how each others trade unions are structured. What surprised me was the diversity between how each of the rail systems work. In Croatia staff attend a four-year training course without the guarantee of a job at the end it, no matter how much they excel in training. The German rail company DB has a much more structured training scheme but the threat of privatisation looms over them, something which the British delegates have some experience of and warned about the dangers involved. Recently there have been conflicts over the possible flotation of the DB on the stock exchange which thankfully was quashed after much union involvement. British delegates discussed how privatisation has not worked in Britain and hoped that the German and Croatian delegates would take this on board and stand and resist it. We were very proud to be part of RMT as we realised how organised and active this union is, something which I believe some of the European delegates were quite envious of. Although we were one of the last major transport unions to set up a young members’ delegation, it would appear that we are the leading light in setting up a European young members’ movement as part of the European Transport Workers Federation where we can develop young trade unionists in other European countries as well as here. It can also assist in the cause of resisting privatisation elsewhere and to educate young trade unionists in the fight against racism and fascism. It was an overall educational and union ‘bridge building’ experience which needs to continue to develop our ever increasing good relationship with other European trade unions.