FIGHTING CUTS AND CASUALISATION

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may 2013 :: RMTnews 16 Engineering conference delegates meeting in Berwick upon Tweed agreed that the increasing casualisation of labour in rail infrastructure projects was putting workers and passengers in danger. Dye Hobbs, Newport Rail said that this problem was caused by major rail contractors laying off staff and hiving off work to agency workers. He said that the union did not want to alienate agency workers but to help them get organised, be safe and be treated fairly. “If this situation continues, everyone will either be an agency worker or a self- employed worker in the near future,” he said. Conference called on the union to contact the Office of Rail Regulation(ORR) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in order to put pressure on Network Rail. “It is imperative that Network Rail demand that the agencies are organised properly, behave in an appropriate manner and treat workers fairly. “Ultimately the number of agencies must be reduced and a minimum standard of training for staff should be in place,” he said. Conference called for such procedures to be set up for each grade with mechanisms for workers to gain experience, on the same rate of pay and with quality PPE. Delegates also agreed that agencies should sign up to the Life Saving Rules and if this does not happen, they should not be permitted on the rail infrastructure. Senior assistant general secretary Mick Cash said that budget cuts and the increasing use of agency workers was creating a two-tier workforce and terms and conditions were under attack as a result. He said that Network Rail executives and managers were receiving huge bonuses just for making budget cuts and saving money by cutting back staff. “Under their bonus scheme the more they underspend the more they will receive in personal financial rewards,” he said. He agreed that the increased use of agency workers was a pressing issue for the union. “There are over 67,000 workers with PTS tickets which allow them access to the track. “Most of them are working for agencies on sub-contracts from Network Rail on low rates of pay. “These insidious practices are turning worker against worker and needs to be confronted,” he said. Network rail cuts in track renewals had led to over 2,500 people leaving the industry, only for them to return working for agencies on zero-hour contracts on low pay. “Ironically after replacing full-time staff with an army of agency staff, they are now struggling to meet renewal targets,” he said. He also warned that new technology to detect broken rails, known as Plain Line Pattern Recognition (PLPR),was also a threat to jobs and safety. “Rail workers are the best at detecting broken rails by walking the track rather than specially-equipped trains as there is no guarantee they pick up faults,” he said. RMT general secretary Bob Crow warned that the policy of free movement of labour within the European Union was undermining wages and being used to turn worker against worker. “They will soon be using Bulgarian and Romanian workers to undercut pay even further,” he said. He said that it was a further attack on collective bargaining which had been going on since rail privatisation. “If we had collective bargaining covering the RMT’s annual engineering grades conference agree cuts and casualisation are a threat to the rail industry