TUBE VICTORY

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2023 :: RMTnews 5 Strike action on London Underground was suspended last month following significant progress made by RMT negotiators. However, tube staff are being asked to vote for further strike action to ensure that the union can keep up the pressure to defend pensions, jobs and agreements. Planned strike action by over 3,000 station staff members was called off following talks at ACAS. As a result, RMT has managed to save key jobs, prevent detrimental changes to rosters and secure protection of earnings around grading changes. This offer represents significant progress and the elimination or reduction of several threats to members’ job security and conditions. The union has won back 200 of the original 523 job cuts which were deleted using natural wastage of unfilled vacancies. The newly restored positions will now be recruited and filled and it is possible that further additions can be achieved through a further review of rosters under the machinery of negotiation. LUL initially planned a revised area structure which would combine all rosters into a wider geographically- dispersed areas. This would have required members to work across large areas of the tube and this threat has now been significantly reduced. Station change displacements will also be very limited and RMT reps will be able to shape any arrangements that are necessary for a small number of members who may be at risk of displacement. The proposal to regrade most Central London stations to be run by CSS2 instead of CSS1 is completely withdrawn. This protects CSS1 members and maintains promotional opportunities on stations. The proposal from LUL is dependent on RMT agreeing that the matters covered by the offer are resolved and no longer form part of the jobs, pensions and agreements dispute. In return, LUL has agreed that no further proposals for station changes will be brought forward. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch congratulated all members who had been prepared to take strike action and the negotiations team for securing this victory in the long-running tube dispute. "Without the unity and industrial power of our members, there is no way we would have been able to make the progress we have. "We still remain in dispute over outstanding issues around pensions and working agreements and the union will continue to pursue a negotiated settlement. “Therefore, we are asking tube members to vote Yes in the ongoing ballot in order to give us a mandate to keep fighting,” he said. self-service ticket machines. They emerged in a letter from London Travelwatch to train operators’ body the Rail Delivery Group at the end of March. Controversial proposals to close 974 ticket offices in England were unveiled at the start of July. It led to over 700,000 responses from passengers. The Mirror newspaper is also campaigning to block the proposals. But the cache of documents, obtained by RMT reveals that ministers were involved in drawing up the proposals. One email from June referenced discussions with ministers. London Travelwatch and Transport Focus will announce whether they object or approve to the proposals at the end of this month. It is understood that they raised an array of issues with train operators. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that it was clear that the Rail Delivery Group colluded to stitch up this consultation process before it even began. He also said that the Transport Secretary needed to stop hiding behind inadequate pay offers that have been rejected and unshackle the rail operators to put forward fresh proposals. "We have done deals in every other part of the railway and with rail companies who are not controlled by DfT mandates. "So, a negotiated settlement can be reached but only if Mr Harper allows the rail operators to act accordingly. "Our findings from our FOI requests on ticket office closures shows the whole process to be a stitch up between the train operators and ministers. “The DfT claims that this process has been ‘industry led’ and a meaningful consultation have been proven to be farcical. "It is clear from the level of anger and the unprecedented engagement on the consultation despite all its flaws, that the whole plan to close ticket offices should now be halted immediately,” he said. TUBE VICTORY Tube workers re-balloted after winning some concessions