SIGNALLING BATTLES AHEAD

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2020 :: RMTnews 16 RMT general secretary Mick Cash opened the 2020 national organising conference for signalling grades with a warning that the Tory government was planning to attack the right to strike by introducing minimum service levels. He said that the entire trade union movement needed to resist this direct attack on a basic human right to withdraw labour. “We have not seen the details yet but it could mean that when members vote for industrial action some of them may be forced to work in order to provide minimum services. “This will affect our ability to defend pay and conditions, pensions and the role of the guard to name just a few issues and undermines basic trade union rights. “The Tories talk about leaving the European Union but they are using the minimum service level model which, ironically, comes from the EU. “Therefore, we need to fight these plans in every way possible and to build the union across all grades in order to increase our industrial power so they can’t pick off different grades,” he said. He also warned that the long-awaited Williams review into the railways which will come out next month would not propose renationalisation which the public clearly wants. “The Tories will only tinker with a franchising model that is clearly not working and will be ideologically opposed to providing a publicly owned rail service run for the benefit,” he said. Ian Allen, speaking on behalf of the national executive committee, also warned that the union needed to defend jobs and terms and conditions as well as reporting on previous items the conference voted for last year. Delegates also called on the union to negotiate with Network Rail proper staffing level at all signalling locations. Phil Boreman, Ashford No.1 said that currently there were many locations that did not have the number of staff agreed which meant that staff were expected to work overtime. “Members need to work overtime in order to allow colleagues to take their contractual leave, receive their training and keep their competency. “Currently we estimate that we need a ratio of 3.2 signallers for every relief signaller to deal with this problem but this would need an extra 600 signallers which would cost £26 million to train up but Network Rail does not want to spend that money. “Network Rail needs to agree to properly staff locations so that no staff feels pushed into working overtime and such agreement should be adhered to nationally, so there is no difference for staff working in different routes or regions,” he said. Delegates called on the union to raise the issue of expanding the grading of signalling locations with Network Rail and that any such new grades not be exclusive to ‘Traffic Management’ or new technology and that an industrial strategy to obtain such expanded grades be put into place. Phil Heaton, Wakefield & Healey Mills said that as Network Rail continued with its strategy of consolidating SIGNALLING BATTLES AHEAD Signalling grades conference calls for action on staffing levels, line blockages and failing disciplinary systems