STRIKE VOTES ON TWO COMMUTER LINES

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: march 2009 :: RMTnews 11 R MT members at two major commuter train-operating companies voted overwhelmingly for strike action to defend jobs this month. RMT members at First Capital Connect voted by more than three to one to strike, and at National Express East Anglia by more than two to one, after the employers refused to provide unequivocal assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies. In a third ballot over jobs – at South West Trains – where bosses suspended a pay rise and where managers are known to have told staff that those who voted for action would get less redundancy pay, members voted narrowly against strike action. “Our members at National Express East Anglia and First Capital Connect have struck a blow against selfish employers who are seeking to slash jobs solely in order to maintain profits and dividends,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. As RMT News goes to press the union’s executive was due to meet to decide on the course of action members will take if the employers fail to withdraw their plans to cut services. Commenting on the narrow vote against strike action at South West Trains Bob Crow said: “The General Grades Committee and I would like to restate this union’s policy of opposition to the redundancies in SWT in any form and we will now have to explore possible legal and political avenues in our campaign to defend jobs.” NATIONAL EXPRESS EAST ANGLIA National Express paid out more than £40 million to its shareholders in the six months up to June 2008 and raised ticket prices by six per cent in January. Its “business reorganisation” includes plans to cut more than 300 jobs, including platform, cleaning, restaurant-car, retail, revenue-protection and call- centre staff. The plan includes displacing permanent rail staff with casual contract and agency staff, and the company already has 175 agency workers working on barriers. The company failed to withdraw its business- reorganisation plans, to assure the union that there would be no compulsory redundancies or to negotiate on the issue of contract and agency labour. FIRST CAPITAL CONNECT First Capital Connect proposes to reduce the opening hours of well over 40 ticket offices across its network by 800 hours a week, despite increasing fares by up to nine per cent in January and its parent group paying £55.5 million to shareholders in the six months up to September 2008. RMT asked First Capital Connect to withdraw its proposals for staffing in the Customer Services Department and for an assurance that there will be no job cuts or compulsory redundancies. The company has not withdrawn its proposals and has given no unequivocal guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies. SOUTH WEST TRAINS Despite a 33 per cent dividend increase for Stagecoach shareholders, its subsidiary South West Trains has announced a total of 660 job losses – well over ten per cent of its workforce – including ticket-office, cleaning, platform, revenue-protection, information and clerical staff. Despite increasing ticket prices by a minimum of six per cent, SWT’s cuts would lead to some stations being totally unstaffed and extensive understaffing. The company has failed to provide an assurance that there will be no compulsory redundancies. “The job losses being imposed to protect the short- term, selfish interests of the parasites running our railways threaten to do lasting damage. Our reps are telling us that trained and experienced rail workers are being bullied and cajoled into leaving for fear of worse terms if they are forced out, and that some operators are turning increasingly to using low-paid casual agency staff,” Bob said. There are also a number of other forthcoming ballots due to take place: At South Eastern over jobs, safety and imposed conditions; East Midlands Trains over job cuts and at Southern Railway over lone working and pay cuts. STRIKE VOTES ON TWO COMMUTER LINES United action to defend jobs