TUBE STRIKE SUSPENDED AFTER SACKED DRIVER REINSTATED

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may 2011 :: RMTnews 7 RMT suspended planned industrial action on London Underground following an agreement with Tube bosses to re-employ unfairly sacked driver Eamonn Lynch and to resolve the unfair dismissal of sacked driver Arwyn Thomas in advance of his Employment Tribunal. London Underground agreed to reinstate RMT Tube driver Eamonn Lynch shortly before strike action was due to begin and after he won his unfair dismissal case after being sacked for allegedly breaching safety rules. RMT balloted drivers for strike action following both sackings which were clearly linked to the pair’s trade union activities as both drivers won interim relief tribunals which meant LU was forced to continue to pay the men’s wages. “This dispute has only ever been about securing justice for our members who have been unfairly dismissed,” said RMT general secretary Bob Crow. “As a result of this agreement Eamonn Lynch can return to work with his continuity of employment and standard of living protected. “I want to pay tribute to the loyalty and determination of our members on London Underground who have continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues. “Their strength and courage has been a shining example to the entire trade union movement,” he said. Hot-headed London mayor Boris Johnson, who has consistently refused to meet RMT officials, accused the union of being ‘completely crackers’ for organising industrial action and used the dispute to demand even tougher anti-strike laws. This is despite the fact that an employment tribunal concluded that Mr Lynch had been dismissed because he was a member of a health and safety committee and for his trade union activities. The fact that, in a safety critical industry, an employee could lose his job simply for being a member of a health and safety committee is a matter of grave concern not just for RMT members but for all tube workers and the wider travelling public. The tribunal was also highly critical of London Underground witnesses. It found the manager who conducted the disciplinary hearing, Alana Stewart, was an unreliable and unsatisfactory witness. In one paragraph of the judgment they accuse her of ‘dissembling’ – pretending – before the tribunal. The tribunal found the manager who conducted the appeal, Chris Taggart, was more interested in excusing his colleagues than giving a fair hearing. By contrast, the tribunal stated that Mr Lynch was a straightforward and truthful witness. The tribunal concluded that he was truthful about the incident that led to his wholly unjustified dismissal. The tribunal found that London Underground had failed to follow its own procedures and concluded that no reasonable employer would have decided that dismissing Mr Lynch was proportionate. The damning verdict totally vindicated RMT’s campaign which was really about whether trade union officials can go about their lawful business without fear of victimisation by a management who appear to be out of control. TUBE STRIKE SUSPENDED AFTER SACKED DRIVER REINSTATED RMT calls off strike action after Tube bosses agree to resolution talks over unfairly sacked tube drivers