LU FLEET REACHES 2,000!

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january/february 2025 :: RMTnews 22 In a resounding testament to organisation and solidarity, RMT’s London Underground Fleet branch is celebrating a significant milestone of passing the 2000-member mark by unveiling its new banner. Behind this remarkable achievement lies the dedication and commitment of reps and activists working tirelessly to recruit, organise and engage with members across LU Fleet to ensure voices are heard, workers’ rights are protected and conditions improved in the workplace. In the early 1990’s, London Underground went through a major company restructure in what was infamously known as the ‘Company Plan’: a complete re-shape of the company that haemorrhaged staff with voluntary redundancies. RMT too had to re-build in this area, which resulted in the merger of two long standing branches. ‘LU Fleet branch’ was formed with the merging of two previous branches: ‘London Number 7’ (founded in 1921) which was made up of Carriage Examiners, Cleaners, Pump Engineers, Lifts & Escalators, & Conciliation staff and ‘West Ealing No 2’, which covered the Railway Engineering Workshops. This newly merged branch consisted of just under 1,000 RMT members across all London Underground Fleet Maintenance Grades, Engineering Workshops, cleaners and security. LU Fleet was formed by a handful of RMT reps across the two branches, with special mentions to those who laid the foundations for what the branch is today: Jim Dickinson, Martin Eady, Harry Clements, Martin White, Dick Godfrey, Jack Evans, Joe Curren, Ted Cogger and Mickey Holt to name but a few. As the new millennium dawned, Bill Teale followed Jim Dickinson as branch secretary carrying out the role for well over a decade, before handing over the reins to Neil Atkinson. After a long tenure, Neil stood down in 2022 before ultimately retiring a year later, when long standing previous chair Tony Carter-Leay moved into the branch secretary role, conducting meetings with chair Kyle Dempsey. Tony said that to be the branch secretary at such a time was a very proud moment. “I’ve been involved with the branch for over 20 years and over that time I’ve seen us slowly grow, challenging other unions as well as taking on the bosses and in some cases winning agreements that have protected the roles of LU Fleet members, such as the Core Work Agreement. “At the same time, we have been at the heart of the fight to get cleaning grades back in-house since outsourcing in 1991 and are closer to being so with the recent victory of lower paid sub-contracted staff LU FLEET REACHES 2,000! London Underground Fleet branch celebrates with new banner