TUBE LINES STRIKE FOR PENSION JUSTICE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2012 :: RMTnews 4 R MT has announced 72 hours of strike action this month following a four to one vote in a ballot of Tube Lines staff in support of a dispute over pensions and benefits justice. RMT has been demanding that all Tube Lines staff, including ex-Alstom staff at Stratford Market depot and the Emergency Response Unit, be allowed to join the Transport for London Pension Scheme and receive the same travel concessions as those who work for LUL, including former Metronet staff. The union call for justice has been on the agenda ever since London Underground took over Tube Lines as part of the rescue operation after the failure of the tube privatisation project Parity would bring Tube Lines staff free travel within London and 75 per cent of the cost of rail travel – the concession that all Tube staff, including ex-Metronet people, already get. Tube Lines staff are responsible for both maintenance and upgrade work on the Jubilee line, Northern line and Piccadilly line and action by staff will have a serious and widespread impact across the system. RMT reps will be closely monitoring the safety environment. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that members had delivered a massive mandate for action following a straightforward demand for parity with other Tube staff. “This dispute is about justice and about ensuring that all groups of staff under the umbrella of London Underground receive the same rights and benefits and our members have no choice but to strike to secure those basic rights. “Former Metronet employees have been allowed back into the TfL Pension Fund and now also have the same travel facilities as other LUL employees. “Tube Lines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London and there is simply no excuse for refusing to give equal pension and pass rights. “The union remains ready to talk, and the strong mandate for this industrial action shows Tube Lines and TfL the depth of anger there is over this blatant lack of fairness and justice,” he said. TUBE LINES STRIKE FOR PENSION JUSTICE R MT has slammed plans that would lead to the privatisation of profitable routes on the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service as the “thin end of a profiteering wedge that would smash apart the concept of Scottish ferries as a public service in the name of private greed.” The Transport Scotland document identifies five routes for privatisation: • Ardrossan – Bodick • Wemyss Bay – Rothesay • Oban – Craignure • Largs – Cumbrae • Pentland Firth RMT is warning that the drive, part of the SNP administrations attempts to cut capital costs by over 30 per cent, would result in higher fares, job losses and the cherry-picking of the most profitable services at the most profitable times. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that if the five routes were sold off for profit it would fire the starting gun for the smashing apart of Scottish ferries as a public service. “We agree that there needs to be investment in fleet and infrastructure but that should be seen as exactly the kind of project that can create jobs not as an excuse for handing fat contracts to outfits like Lombard/RBS for extortionate leasing agreements. “RMT has run a campaign involving local communities to defend Scottish Ferries from exactly this kind of attack for a number of years now and that will now jump to a new level in light of this draft report and as we await proposals for Northern Ferries,” he said. RMT SLAMS PLANS TO SMASH UP SCOTTISH FERRY SERVICES