LONDON OVERGROUND TICKET OFFICE VICTORY Pages 8 ‘IN THE NAME OF GOD GO!’

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2019 :: RMTnews 7 R ail Gourmet RMT members based at the Edinburgh Depot working on the work on the inter-city LNER contract took further strike action last month in a fight for workplace justice following a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations. Scottish labour leader Richard Leonard stood in solidarity with workers on strike over a culture of bullying and harassment by management. Following an overwhelming vote in the ballot in favour of taking industrial action, and after previous action in October, further action went ahead as planned. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it was a fight for workplace justice involving a crucial group of staff servicing the catering functions on LNER trains and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just like any other group of transport workers. “RMT will not stand back while bullying, abuse of procedures and non-payment for additional duties is rife. Our members have voted overwhelmingly for action in an earlier ballot and have shown rock solid support for this fight and it is now down to Rail Gourmet to take this dispute seriously and start talking about a settlement that puts fair treatment in the workplace at the top of the agenda. "It is clear that the only way we can get management to address these issues immediately is by taking further strike action,” he said. SOLIDARITY: Scottish labour leader Richard Leonard stands in solidarity with rail gourmet workers. R MT racked up another important victory in the campaign to halt the London Overground ticket office closure programme last month but warned that the battle was far from over. At a packed London Travelwatch board meeting the independent passenger watchdog recognised that the proposal from Arriva Rail London to close 51 ticket offices ”is not a clear cut situation” and they need more answers to questions which were raised. London Travelwatch said that as a passenger body it was “entirely legitimate” that the board raised its concerns and that it gets answers. The two main areas were issues around the capability of ticket machines and the level of footfall at these stations, which for 39 of them is well over a million entries and exits a year. RMT general secretary Mick Cash welcomed the interim decision of the board and hoped that all the genuine concerns of passengers and staff around safety, accessibility, security and machine reliability were looked at and fully taken into account before any final decision is made. “RMT believes firmly that there is no case for any closures and we have recorded another important victory in our campaign to halt the ticket office closure programme but the battle is far from over. “I repeat again that London Mayor Sadiq Khan should heed the calls of passengers and their representatives and withdraw now his support from this flawed plan to close the ticket offices,” he said. RAIL GOURMET MEMBERS TAKE FURTHER STRIKE ACTION IN EDINBURGH LONDON OVERGROUND TICKET OFFICE VICTORY PROTEST: A big delegation of London Overground reps attended the London Travel watch meeting to demand that passenger footfall and disabled accessibility and not just ticket sales were taken up by the board.