UNION WINS AT ‘ONE’

RMTnews :: october 2006 :: www.rmt.org.uk 4 E mployers with a stake in the Transport for London Pension Fund have been warned by the union that they face a London-wide industrial dispute if the pension rights of people who leave their jobs through ill- health are undermined. RMT, the union with most members in the scheme, has told the employers that it is in dispute for backing cost-cutting amendments that would dramatically affect qualification for ill-health pensions. The TfL Pension Scheme has more than 22,000 contributing members working for London Underground, other TfL sections and private-sector infrastructure companies including Metronet and Tube Lines. “At present, ill-health pensions are granted to workers in the TfL fund whose ill-health makes them unfit to do their particular job,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. He said the proposed changes could mean that anyone capable of earning an income, regardless of how small, would probably not qualify for or retain an ill- health pension. “That is a fundamental attack on a long-standing condition of service that would see most people who leave work through ill-health deprived of a pension, and we will resist it. “We have warned the various employers that we expect an unequivocal commitment that they will not seek to undermine our members’ pension rights in this way, or we will be in dispute with them,” Bob said. R MT has won reinstatement for Denise Waters, a carriage cleaner based at Southend Victoria, after pointing out that the company had breached the blue book conditions of service which existed under British Rail. South East Essex branch chair John McEvoy discovered the breach of rule when he was called in to deal with an appeal after Denise was dismissed after being employed for over nine months. Denise had been called in for an interview that was primarily going to be under the Managing for Attendance procedure but was faced with instant dismissal for failing her probation. With prior knowledge of the importance of trade union membership, Denise had joined RMT as soon as she started with ‘one’ and called upon her unions’ services immediately. With her pay and employment terminated, she was advised to put in a letter of appeal requesting that she be represented by her union rep. As a Retail Company Council rep under ‘one’ and the former Great Eastern, Brother McEvoy had been aware of RMT’s efforts to restructure the carriage cleaners over the years. As management had refused to recognise shift enhancements, the best he could do was to defend their existing conditions. With this in mind, John went into Denise’s appeal armed with the old NUR blue book and successfully argued that her probationary period should be only have been three months. With his 14 years experience as a rep to support his argument, Denise was reinstated with her outstanding wages reimbursed. With harmonisation negotiations ongoing at ‘one’, existing conditions of service are protected, including those from BR days. So it is worth remembering not to discard the old blue book, it can come in handy. RMT members visiting London can now take advantage of affordable accommodation at the union's Maritime House building, Clapham. Single rooms are available for just £24 per night to members and close family. Couples can have a reduced rate of £36 for two rooms. Maritime House is a few minutes walk from Clapham Common station for quick access to central London. To book a room, or for further details, contact Denise Craig at RMT on 020 7529 8840 or email d.craig@rmt.org.uk. WHEN VISITING LONDON, WHY NOT STAY WITH RMT? TFL EMPLOYERS WARNED NOT TO ATTACK ILL-HEALTH BENEFITS UNION WINS AT ‘ONE’ John and Denise celebrate