PLANNED JOB CUTS AT SWT WILL HIT RAIL SERVICES

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: february 2009 :: RMTnews 7 A n historic recognition and procedure agreement has finally been signed with the Carlisle Group covering RMT members on the Merseyrail security contract. Following an initial refusal by the company, the union made application to the CAC (Central Arbitration Committee) for union recognition. Once RMT had presented the claim and demonstrated the staff’s desire to be represented by the union, the company agreed. The application was also supported by Merseyrail. The Voluntary Recognition Procedure Agreement was jointly signed by Regional Organiser Andy Warnock-Smith and Operations Director of Carlisle Group Security Martin Woollam (right).. Andy Warnock-Smith said that it was a significant development for the staff employed on the Carlisle contract and staff were now in the process of electing local and health and safety reps. R MT has called on South Eastern Trains to halt unjustifiable plans to axe 300 rail workers’ jobs. As news emerged that the Govia-owned franchise intends to shed staff to protect profits and shareholder dividends, RMT warned that it would not accept compulsory redundancies among its members. The union also urged the government to stop transport privateers sacrificing jobs and services to protect profits and massive shareholder dividends. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that Southeastern is part of the Govia group that has been raking in record profits and the planned cuts were not only completely unjustified but underline that is interested only in making money. “The franchise has seen its passenger numbers grow by more than six percent and its passenger revenue grew by 13 per cent in the last year. “Govia is two-thirds owned by the Go-Ahead group, which poured nearly £50 million in dividends into its shareholders pockets last year and which boasted of another year of record results. “They have been happy to cream it at the expense of massive subsidy, overcrowding and inflation-busting fare increases, but at the first sign of a downturn they want to make the rail workers who actually provide the service pay with their jobs,” he said. Bob pointed out that Southeastern did perfectly well in the public sector for two years before Govia got its hands on it, and if the privateers could not maintain jobs and services they needed to hand back the keys. “These are jobs that our members and the economy cannot afford to lose, and Southeastern should understand that RMT will resist compulsory redundancies with every means at its disposal,” Bob Crow said. R MT has accused South West Trains of trying to hoodwink the public into believing that services would be unaffected by planned cuts. The company has claimed that cuts in substantial numbers of platform, ticket- office, information, clerical and cleaning staff will not affect services which passengers already pay through the nose for. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that despite record passenger numbers, record profits, year-on-year inflation- busting fare increases and a massive increase in dividends, SWT wanted to pare staff to the bone, and they need to be told it’s not on. “Even after being told by the government to scale back plans to axe ticket-office opening times, nearly 100 full- time ticket office jobs are earmarked for the chop, and that is a disgrace. “On top of that they want to run shorter trains, which can only result in spreading overcrowding to off-peak services. “This big squeeze on passengers and rail workers can only get worse as SWT tries to make its premium payments and keep Stagecoach shareholders happy, and the time has come to end the nightmare and bring the franchise back into the public sector,” Bob said. He said that RMT would fight any compulsory redundancies and hoped that the passengers SWT had tried to hoodwink would tell the company that it has no right to shed staff simply to keep profits and dividends up. RMT WINS RECOGNITION AT CARLISLE SECURITY SOUTH EASTERN JOB CUTS UNJUSTIFIED PLANNED JOB CUTS AT SWT WILL HIT RAIL SERVICES