SOLID ON SOUTH WESTERN

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2019 :: RMTnews 5 R MT members on South Western Railway stood "rock solid and united" again earlier this month in the latest round of action in fight for the safety critical role of guard and the safe operation of trains. As guards began the four days of strike action it was revealed that the company would receive at least a £32 million strike bailout from the tax payer for strike action taken to date, meaning they will be paid by the government even when they have not run trains on strike days. In response to Parliamentary questions the new Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has refused to say what the final bill for tax payers will be saying the matter is “subject to commercial confidentiality.” But the latest report and accounts of South Western Railway’s co-owner First Group, says that “progress has been made” as to the “level of strike amelioration recoverable from the Department for Transport”. RMT has calculated that if the four days of action were included then the total strike bail out that South Western Railway can expect to get to date is £32 million, the equivalent of a 3.4 per cent annual fare cut for South Western passengers. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that passengers would be outraged to know that South Western Railway was being paid by Ministers even when they don’t run trains on strike days. “Thanks to the generosity of the government South Western Railway don’t lose a penny from strikes and therefore have little incentive to negotiate seriously. "RMT members have not come this far in the long fight for safety on South Western Railway only to be snubbed when a deal is clearly there to be done. It is now down to the company to get serious and listen to what their own staff are saying,” he said. R MT suspended Tube strike action on the Central Line last month after London Underground agreed to address a number of the core elements of the dispute including increasing Train Operator levels on the line. The company also agreed to review the application of the Attendance At Work Policy and address a number of other health and safety matters. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the union would be closely monitoring future industrial relations on the Central Line. “All members and reps must be congratulated for reaching this position and seeing these issues resolved,” he said. The union also suspended strike action on the Victoria Line following a series of talks with the company at ACAS. During the talks proposals were made to find a resolution to the dispute which included Service Control and Reps Release, Pay Deductions, Disciplinaries, Attendance at Work and the Framework Agreement. The company has committed itself to implementing jointly agreed proposals to improve working relationships between RMT members and Victoria Line management and further detailed discussions are planned with specified review periods. SOLID ON SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY TUBE ACTION SUSPENDED R MT members working as skilled maintainers for Nexus on Tyne & Wear Metro took strike action earlier this month following an overwhelming vote in a for action. Members are demanding a fair regrade for skilled maintainers by calling for parity with technicians who are currently on a higher grade. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that members at Nexus had delivered an overwhelming vote for the second time as a mandate for industrial action in support of their call to have their jobs regraded so that they have parity with technicians who are currently on a higher grade. “The company continues to drag its heels and has failed to produce and agree a reasonable timetable process towards a regrading. “Nexus needs to come to its senses and regrade these workers without delay at a level that reflects the skilled work that they do,” he said. TYNE AND WEAR METRO STRIKE