NO TO CATERING OUTSOURCING

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may/june 2024 :: RMTnews 19 into the research and development of production of this technology so we can have driverless public transport. “And that is a genuine threat on a horizon that we have got to think about as a trade union,” he said. Guest speakers also included RMT president Alex Gordon and bus activist Tom Kearney who spoke of his concerns over Labour’s Better Buses plan which he argued would be based around the London Franchise model. The London bus franchise model is ‘institutionally unsafe’ for bus drivers, he argued. Reflecting the growing RMT membership amongst the bus sector, several motions were passed by delegates on a range of issues. These included a demand for a national set of terms and conditions for all bus workers, independent investigations into bus crashes and a change to working hours practices. Poole and District delegate Jason Gosling suggested that inter branch communication was improved so that bus members could know more readily what other colleagues’ terms and conditions are in different companies. Supporting a motion calling for a “maximum working week of basic hours and an agreed overtime percentage for hours worked over that basic week with agreed RMT terms and conditions for future pay negotiations,” he said: “When we leave these conferences, we’ve got to stay connected and continue to build”. Conference also sent a message to bus companies that they were not going to put up with working ludicrously long hours well above what was safe. Calling for a change in the law, a delegate from the East Midlands recalled how he worked over the legal limit on a shift, but his workplace had marked his time on duty within the legal time frame. He said that by kicking up a fuss he’d managed to avoid the shift subsequently but that it remained on the roster.   R MT members working across rail network in the catering sector declared time on outsourcing at their annual conference in Blackpool. Delegates emphasised the need for the union to take on unscrupulous employers who super exploit their staff. David Turner, Manchester South said that the scourge of outsourcing was abhorrent. “There is an ongoing campaign regarding this, including lobbying parliament, but this campaign is focused on cleaning grades and we need a campaign to fight against outsourcing of catering and auxiliary grades. "As someone who himself worked as agency in a different role and, having experienced just how poor conditions were, outsourcing is disgraceful,” he said. He also pointed out that there were people doing jobs within catering and elsewhere on the railway who have "the exact same role, directly employed doing the exact same job, but on significantly more money and significantly better protections" than outsourced colleagues. RMT assistant general secretary John Leach updated members on the recent national dispute and the outstanding role played by caterers. "Caterers were the backbone of the national dispute and played a significant role on picket lines, on our demonstrations and in our ability to industrially leverage a deal with the train operating companies. "We need to turn our attention to the outright attacks on catering services on a variety of train operating companies. "RMT will defend our members terms and conditions resolutely and we will not allow catering jobs to be sacrificed on the altar of profit,” he said. NEC member Dave Goard gave a report back from the union regarding Bring Back the Buffet campaign, saying: "to make sure that catering remains a focal point for everything that we do on the railway." But he also highlighted the need to, "make sure that the jobs that we have got now are preserved and we continue to be diligent on the health and safety. “We must make sure that our jobs are protected along with our pay and conditions as well," he said. Delegates also discussed the issue of new rolling stock with members pointing out that in some train companies there are now no windows that can opened. Jason Warner, Bristol said that the rollout of new fleet with no windows means caterers were exposed to elements of constant recycled air, which in turn exposed workers to airborne diseases. "The union should investigate and protect our members to against potential life changing conditions,” he said. Speaking in support of the motion, Mandy Evans, Swansea No.1 said: "I think this is important because we are like sardines in a tin can. "We can't open the window; we could be on that train for hours and hours and hours. And I've got an illness that means I have 80 per cent lung capacity. "People are struggling and people with any kind of respiratory condition can't go on working in these conditions,” she added. NO TO CATERING OUTSOURCING