ELIZABETH LINE AND LONDON OVERGROUND MUST BE PUBLIC

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2024 :: RMTnews 14 T ube unions RMT and ASLEF have written to the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to urge him to bring the Elizabeth Line and London Overground into public ownership. The letter comes in the wake of the newly elected Labour government's clear stance on the need to overhaul the UK’s railways, ending decades of privatisation. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch and ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan highlighted the inefficiencies and costs associated with the current privatisation model, noting that it had led to fragmented and expensive services for passengers. "Privatisation has been a costly inefficient failure," they wrote, emphasising that the government's forthcoming legislation makes public ownership the default option for the rest of the country’s railways. Citing the government's impact assessment, the unions stressed the financial and service-related benefits of public ownership: “There will be significant savings to government... public ownership represents an opportunity to improve [passenger rail service] by removing the commercially driven focus on individual operators' profit”. The unions argue that by taking the Elizabeth Line and London Overground into public hands, Londoners would see more of their fare revenue reinvested into the network. They pointed out that private operators like MTR and Arriva Rail London, who currently manage these services, have paid out millions in dividends – money they say could have been used to reduce fares. "MTR paid out a dividend of £7.6 million, equivalent to a 2.4 per cent cut in Elizabeth Line fares," they noted, while "Arriva Rail London paid a dividend of £9.6 million, equivalent to a 4.4 per cent cut in Overground fares". The letter also argued that public ownership would support Mayor Khan's long- standing goal of greater devolved control over London’s rail services, allowing for better integration and coordination across the capital. "London would not only share the same policy direction as the national government, but public ownership would make it significantly easier to create the kind of governance structures that would enable greater devolution to London," the leaders wrote. With contracts for both the Elizabeth Line and London Overground nearing their end, unions pointed to a unique opportunity for the Mayor to act decisively. R MT members on London Underground have backed strike action after rejecting a pay offer deemed wholly inadequate. While some progress was made in negotiations, the current proposals leave many workers excluded from collective bargaining, which remains a core issue for the union. Despite an improved offer, LUL's position on pay banding had not changed. Currently over 20 per cent of LUL members are in pay bands but during negotiations Transport for London stated that the current LUL spot salaries would be incorporated into pay bands defined by so- called ‘job families’. An RMT reps meeting unanimously rejected the plans and demanded that any offer be paid in full and consolidated to all members in the collective bargaining unit. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that London Underground’s pay offer fell short of what members deserve. “The offer also threatens to remove collective bargaining for a growing portion of staff, pushing them into pay bands that are decided solely by management. This undermines our members’ rights and the core principles of fair negotiation. "No trade union can accept any pay proposal where management decide which of our members gets a pay rise and those who do not. “We have repeatedly urged London Underground to offer a deal that ensures all staff are covered by collective bargaining, yet management remains fixated on imposing pay structures without our agreement. “We remain open to negotiations, but London Underground must come back to the table with a comprehensive, consolidated offer that respects the rights of all our members,” he said. ELIZABETH LINE AND LONDON OVERGROUND MUST BE PUBLIC TUBE WORKERS BACK STRIKE ACTION Union opposes plan to remove collective bargaining rights from workers