SERCO CALEDONIAN SLEEPER BALLOT

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2015 :: RMTnews 19 Customer relations members at Leeds have been in dispute with Northern Rail since August over a job evaluation of jobs in their department which led to an unacceptable downgrading from a CO4 to a CO2 grade. Staff have already taken two days of action in October and November and further strike dates are planned for Christmas Eve and January 4. Members were appalled by the outcome of the review as well as management’s refusal to reconsider their decision. An incredible 95 per cent vote in favour of taking industrial action and the union is demanding that the downgrading of existing employees should be withdrawn. The union is also demanding that the two evaluation processes be set aside and that no changes are made to the duties of those carrying out Customer Relation Officer Roles at CO5. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that members at Leeds were to be applauded for their solidarity and determination and their rock solid. “Our members at Leeds deserve nothing less than our full support in their fight to defend their grade,” he said. The current Northern Rail franchise run by Serco and Abellio will end in February since beginning operation in 2004 and the new operator will be announced next month. RMT members on the Caledonian Sleeper are being balloted for strike action in a dispute with new operator Serco. Despite several meetings between RMT negotiators and senior company management over the last few months The union has been forced into the ballot over the company's failure to address the number of defects contained within the rolling stock despite numerous meetings with management. Some of the defects are potentially dangerous to the staff on board and the travelling public who are paying top dollar prices for a service which is unreliable, increasingly uncomfortable and riddled with health, safety and welfare issues. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the poor service to passengers, in conjunction with the company's failure to address the issues raised by the union over several months, had now reached the point of proceeding to ballot for industrial action before someone was injured. "The sleeper franchise was awarded to Serco by the Scottish government and the multi-national privateer took over from First Group on March 31st this year. “Our members have been unhappy with Serco's management of the iconic service from Scotland to London since the very early days of them taking on this fifteen year franchise. “This is yet another example of Serco winning public sector contracts and failing to deliver for the tax payer, passengers and staff". He went on to say Serco's failings to run a rail service should be a wake-up call to the Scottish government in advance of the announcement of the winner of the lifeline ferry service on Scotland's west coast currently delivered by the public sector through Calmac ferries. "The Scottish government must pay heed to the warnings from RMT and opposition politicians about the broken promises from Serco on their deliverance of public transport and ensure the announcement regarding the award of the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Service is made in advance of the Scottish parliamentary elections next May. "Serco is a company who are specialists in failure when it comes to public sector contracts and RMT has no intention of allowing them to get away with compromising the safety of staff and passengers on the sleeper service,” he said. NORTHERN RAIL LEEDS STAFF TO TAKE FURTHER STRIKE ACTION Union warns Scottish government that ‘specialists in failure’ Serco is ignoring health and safety warnings SERCO CALEDONIAN SLEEPER BALLOT