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RMTnews :: january 2008 :: www.rmt.org.uk
20
The Signalling Grades Conference
meeting in York unanimously backed
a call for a pay increase
Signalling grades conference delegates
backed a call by Dave King, Sterling for a
“no strings attached rise in basic rates of
pay” for all grades covered by the
conference.
Working conditions also came under
attack from delegates who complained
bitterly about how management were
exploiting an agreement in which staff were
prepared to work an extra hour for
emergency possessions.
Conference backed a motion which stated
that instead of the agreement being used in
good faith management were routinely
using it to cover turns of duty when there
are shortages of staff and allowing shift
patterns to fall into rest days and weekend
working.
Ian Johnson, Walsall said of the existing
agreement: “I am calling on the negotiators
to go into Network Rail and withdraw this
agreement and just have it for emergencies
only, which is what it was designed for.
“Management are abusing it, not just in
Walsall and Sterling. It’s going to happen
more and more across the country,” he said.
Kelvin Eastham, Three Bridges explained
how in 2001 the spirit of the original one
hour agreement was for emergencies only
but “has since then been hijacked by
Network Rail”.
PERFORMANCE VERSUS SAFETY
Conference condemned the drive for
performance over safety and warned that
the continued watering down of railway
routes and regulations, coupled with a
performance driven regime to meet train
delay targets, will end in disaster.
Paul Hooper, N Staffs said: “everybody
here at this conference sees a shift in this
industry which seems to be geared more and
SIGNALLERS DEMAND PAY
RISE WITHOUT STRINGS