SOUTH EASTERN TRAINS BALLOT TO DEFEND JOBS AND CONDITIONS

Edwards Duthie Solicitors has a special affinity with trade unions, their members and officials. We have advised union members and their families for some 22 years, to the point where we now serve some 40,000 members across 230 branches nationwide. We have a dedicated team which serves RMT members, their families and friends. Unlike our competitors, we offer a full range of legal services, many of which are free or heavily discounted for union members : ●PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS ●SPECIALIST CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE TEAM ●EXPERT ADVICE ON ALL ASPECTS OF EMPLOYMENT LAW ●24 HOUR CRIMINAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION ●FREE WILLS SERVICE FOR MEMBERS ●10% DISCOUNT ON RESIDENTIAL CONVEYANCING ●LAW SOCIETY SPECIALISTS IN FAMILY AND MATRIMONIAL ADVICE ●FREE HALF HOUR INTERVIEW IN ALL AREAS OF LAW Our approach is both proactive and hands on. Our lawyers go to see members and officials at the workplace, at home, at union premises or wherever discussion can best be accommodated nationwide. We are here to provide a service and, unlike our competitors, we do not consider that we can do that from a remote standpoint. RING NOW FOR ADVICE & ASSISTANCE ON 0208 514 9000 email: allinfo@edwardsduthie.com In partnership with the RMTnews :: september 2005 6 RMT members at South Eastern Trains are being balloted for strike action after the company failed to provide assurances that jobs, pensions and conditions will not be adversely affected by re- privatisation. Preparations to re-privatise the Integrated Kent Franchise have continued despite the huge improvements made since it was brought back into public ownership and overwhelming support for it to remain in public hands. The union asked SET to insert clauses into staff contracts ensuring that there would be no compulsory redundancies or worsening of pensions or conditions, and that existing promotion and transfer arrangements would remain in place. RMT made it quite clear to SET that failure to agree to do so by the end of August would result in a dispute and the RMT executive has now set in motion a ballot for strike action among our more than 1,350 members. There is also growing concerns among the travelling public over SET plans to cut over 100 ticket office staff and close some ticket outlets altogether ahead of the implementation of the controversial re-privatisation plans. The last time the franchise was handed to the private sector staffing levels were pared to the bone, conditions came under attack and staff morale hit rock bottom, while services deteriorated and public confidence evaporated. After Connex was thrown off the franchise and it came back to the public sector, much progress was made in restoring staffing levels, improving services and punctuality, boosting staff morale and stopping the massive haemorrhage of public money. But in the run-up to re- privatisation the company is already trying to throw the whole process back into reverse by reducing station-staff numbers. General secretary Bob Crow said that members’ fears were founded on a bellyful of experience of privateers seeking to maximise profits by cutting staff, undermining decent pension schemes and squeezing pay and conditions while pocketing massive subsidies. “Like most rail users, we would far rather SET remained in the public sector, but if the government insists on going ahead with this ideologically driven re-privatisation we have every right to demand that our members’ jobs, pensions and working conditions are protected,” Bob said. * Early Day Motion 395, tabled in the House of Commons by Clive Efford and signed by 32 MPs, expresses deep concern that the government intends to re- privatise SET and calls on the government to allow the company to make a public-sector bid to run the franchise. SOUTH EASTERN TRAINS BALLOT TO DEFEND JOBS AND CONDITIONS