INFLATION-BUSTING PAY DEAL AT ARRIVA TRAINS WALES

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: november/december 2008 :: RMTnews 4 R MT welcomed the transfer of the workforce at failed public-private partnership company Metronet back to London Underground Ltd. Under the deal staff are TUPED over under the terms of the PPP code of practice which includes a clause ruling out compulsory redundancies. Metronet is responsible for maintenance of the BCV and SSL tube lines. It came under the control of Transport for London last May after going into administration in July 2007. The other private consortium with Tube maintenance contracts, Tube Lines, is still in the private sector. RMT, London Underground’s largest union, has been pressing for the measure for some time and welcomed Metronet Rail’s move as a victory for common sense. “It is another small step on the road for a properly integrated transport system for London after the disastrous experiment with PPP,” he said. He warned that any threat of forced redundancies of RMT members at TfL and London Underground, hinted at by London major Boris Johnson in order to find £2.4 billion in “efficiency savings”. “If the mayor is looking for efficiencies he should find a way of bringing the Tube Lines PPP contracts back in-house as well, because they are still draining huge sums of public money from London’s transport budget. “It goes without saying that RMT will resist any forced redundancies among our members,” he said. F ollowing the threat of strike action, RMT members at Arriva Trains Wales have won an above-inflation pay deal of nearly six per cent for the lowest paid and additional leave for train drivers. After rejecting pay offers in a referendum by over 90 per cent, all non-driver grades, backed an improved two-year three month deal which gives a basic rate increase In the first year pay will rise 4.75 per cent, or £750 (whichever is the greater) with an additional 0.5 per cent on basic rate in part compensation for a move of April 1 2010 pay review date to July 1 2010. The deal also removes the 75 per cent training rate for new recruits to Station Staff grades and increased maternity pay. From April 1 2009 the basic rate increase will be three per cent, or RPI plus 0.75 per cent, or £800 (whichever is the greater) with an additional 0.5 per cent on basic rate in part compensation for a move of the pay review date to July 2010. The pay offer includes an additional 0.5 per cent increase in rates of pay previously introduced for drivers from 2007. Drivers also backed their separate deal in a referendum, which includes an extra day’s leave on top of the 4.75 per cent pay rise and another additional day in year two to take their leave to 28 days. The moving of the anniversary date will enable an equalisation of anniversary dates with all grades as a move towards RMT’s policy of single table pay bargaining. Regional organiser Brendan Kelly said that the improved deal was a vindication of RMT’s campaign for fairness across all grades, ending low pay and for a share of the financial success of ATW. “Earlier offers clearly did not meet those objectives and were rejected by the members who also voted solidly for strike action. “This inflation-plus deal has delivered for some of the lowest paid grades on the network,” he said. ATW company council stations grades rep Dave Bell said that the lowest paid grades wages would rise from £14,000 to £15,700 per annum. “This is a great stride towards pay parity with other train operating companies,” he said. INFLATION-BUSTING PAY DEAL AT ARRIVA TRAINS WALES METRONET STAFF RETURN TO LONDON UNDERGROUND