SWT DOUBLE WHAMMY!

RMT WINS PAY EQUALITY FOR SOUTH WEST TRAINS TICKET OFFICE STAFF From November 2005, all ticket office staff have enjoyed a pay increase thanks to local RMT reps who successfully campaigned for all such staff to be a minimum grade of C01/2. Retail Company Council Reps Rickey Goodman and Brian Woods approached South West Trains management in regards to getting equality for around 40 staff in ticket offices on South West Trains some time ago. Management finally conceded to remove the anomaly and agreed to backdate pay increases due to staff from entry into service. The changes will also mean pension increases for all RO2's grades who are currently working in ticket offices. RMT rep Brian Woods said that the changes meant an extra £40 for staff. “This could have an impact on other companies that still operate this anomaly which goes back to the 1980’s,” he said. UNDERPAID SOUTH WEST TRAINS CLEANERS WIN COMPENSATION Cleaners at Waterloo working for South West Trains have won around £2,000 in back pay after local RMT reps calculated that they were being under paid by three hours per week after being transferred to the fleet organisation. At a fleet negotiation meeting it was highlighted by RMT reps Rickey Goodman, Brian Woods and Barry Chappell that the RO1 cleaners were being underpaid. Following talks, South West Trains management concurred and agreed paying the lost pay and this anomaly would be rectified in the new rosters that were being negotiated by the RMT team. Following this agreement, there was a commitment from management that the accommodation for 91 cleaners at Waterloo would be resolved by this January. There were moves to finalise the Management for Attendance, discipline and the re-deployment procedures at full Company Council level with RMT regional organiser Phil Bialyk and South West Trains directors. RMTnews :: january 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 6 COMPENSATION: RMT reps Brian Woods and Rickey Goodman celebrate a double win with assistant general secretary Pat Sikorski M ore than 300 RMT guards on Virgin Cross Country took strike action on Sunday January 1 2006 and plan to continue the action every Sunday in a dispute over the erosion of Sunday pay rates. The company is well aware that a 35- hour week agreement was supposed to have brought RMT members a shorter working week without loss of pay, and that members have seen enhancements for working on Sundays cut by nearly six per cent. RMT regional organiser Ken Usher said that local RMT reps were happy to recommend acceptance of their original deal hammered out last August, but it seems that Richard Branson’s executive board had vetoed it. He said that since then the company had refused to talk about the issue and now seemed happy to lose Sunday services altogether rather than agree to a done deal that would cost them only £6 per shift. “That has caused enormous resentment amongst our members, who are also angry that the company has begun treating Sunday rosters as if they were compulsory, despite our agreement that Sundays are outside the normal working week,” he said. Ken also congratulated the 351 XC train managers who took part in the action. “Their support to secure a lasting and long term settlement is greatly appreciated,” he said. The RMT executive has announced Sunday strike dates up to the back end of February and the union remains available for talks at any mutually convenient or neutral location or through the offices of ACAS. Virgin Cross Country hit by strike action SWT DOUBLE WHAMMY!