SACK THE AGENCIES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2013 :: RMTnews 8 RMT is stepping up the campaign against attempts by agencies, notably Trainpeople, to force their way into the rail industry with the express intent of profiteering at the expense of jobs, security and decent pay and conditions. RMT branches in Wales have alerted the union to the fact that there is a new drive by Trainpeople to try and get a foot in the door through an aggressive marketing approach to railway employers. The union has pledged again to fight off any attempts by Trainpeople, or similar agencies, to downgrade and casualise rail jobs. RMT will be producing new campaigning materials as it links up the fight against casualisation by train companies, on rail infrastructure and on London Underground. As well as heading off any new attempts by the agencies to pick off rail workers’ jobs, the union is also mounting campaigns at those companies already using agencies, notably First Capital Connect, C2C, Greater Anglia and LU, to bring that work back directly in-house on decent and secure pay and conditions. On the rail infrastructure, RMT has continued to expose how the use of agencies is directly associated with fatigue, breaches of safety, zero-hours contracts, bogus self- employment, casualisation and poverty pay. The campaign for those staff to be brought directly under Network Rail also remains a key demand. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that there were increasing reports of train companies, seeking to expand their profits, looking more and more to hive-off railway jobs to the opportunists from the agency sector with Trainpeople leading the way with an aggressive marketing campaign. “RMT is making it clear that not only will we fight off the attempts by the agencies to move into new areas but we will also continue to campaign industrially to remove them from the areas they have already occupied and to bring that work back in house. “Casualisation, zero-hours, poverty pay and bogus self- employment have no place on Britain’s rail and transport services and the battle to beat back this orchestrated attack on jobs and conditions is one of the top priorities of the union as we step up our campaign,” he said. S A C K T H E A G E N C I E S N O T T H E W O R K E R S or call the helpline on freephone 0800 376 3706 Visit www.rmt.org.uk to join online JOIN RMT BRITAIN’S SPECIALIST TRANSPORT UNION Problems at work? Call the helpline (Now with two operators) Keep your RMT membership details up-to-date In the light of draconian anti-trade union laws that have been used against the union, members should keep their personal data up to date. It also important to note that in order to keep members informed your union requires your mobile telephone number and email address. Members can do this via the RMT website, telephone the RMT helpline above, or writing to the membership department at RMT head office, Chalton Street, London NW1 1JD. Casualisation, zero-hour contracts, poverty pay and bogus self-employment have no place on transport services SACK THE AGENCIES