LETTERS

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: july/august 2010 :: RMTnews 35 letters STOP THE BLOODY JOB! I’m getting well and truly fed up of the ridiculous amount of disciplinary hearings that the RMT Offshore Energy branch has had to deal with lately relating to breaches of safety procedures. A lot of these hearings end up with final written warnings and an increasing number as terminations of employment. Outcomes like this could really have been avoided, if the individual concerned had just stopped the job. All too often the member thinks he is doing the company a favour, or maybe saving the company or themselves time or man-hours on the job. We also get the line - ‘well I’ve done it like that loads of times before and nothing was said’. Yeah, you’re probably right, the thing is though it only becomes a problem when it all goes wrong – right! The fact is the only thing the member has been doing is putting himself, and sometimes others, at RISK. Don’t do it! A simple example is the manpower one; the Offshore Energy Branch has had two cases lately where a lack of manpower on the job has led to two members being sacked off different jobs. If our members had stopped the job before it even got started, instead of doing what they thought was best for company, they would still be in a job today. Where a procedure or permit requires a certain number of people, stick to it, because if you don’t our Regional Organiser and legal team won’t be able to offer much help. Clear breaches of procedure cannot be defended, even if you were stressed at the time! In fact that’s not a defence, that’s another failure because you should have stopped the job because you were suffering with stress! These situations are becoming more and more common; we therefore implore members to STOP this practice. Before work commences on any task that you are assigned to, please look at the work pack and at the Permit very closely. If the permit states that you have to have two persons for a task, then you should adhere to that at all times. Do not cut corners and do not let some bully of a supervisor push you to cut corners. Even if the supervisor is a ‘reasonable guy’ the fact is, if something goes wrong the first person who is going to get it in the neck is you. And the outcome, even for a ‘first offence’ could well mean that your job is no more. Offshore Energy branch secretary (This letter first appeared in the magazine of RMT’s Offshore Energy branch Blowout) Dear editor, I have been a member of RMT/NUR for 32 years. Last year I was struck down with ill health while employed at Feltham on the Network Rail Wessex route as a relief mobile operating manager. Management treated me very badly, trying to terminate my employment before my pension had been set up, not visiting me during my illness and many more issues too numerous to mention. If it had not been for my Wessex rep Paul Kemp’s support and guidance I feel I would have ended up in a mental institution from the strain of it all. Paul kept in close contact with me at all times of the day and negotiating on my behalf with Network rail and pointing me in the right direction. Paul has many qualities which he used to win a successful outcome for me. I would like to express my gratitude to Paul and all in the RMT network for all the professional help and assistance to myself and my wife during such a difficult period which has ended with me retiring early from the rail industry. Many thanks to RMT for looking after me during the past 32 years. Kind regards Les Chapman THANK YOU RMT