RMT Platform

Venue: Exmouth Arms, Star Cross Street, near Euston

This workshop is a must for all workplace RMT representatives. Go through the basics of being an effective workplace representative if you are new in the post - and polish up your skills if you are long in the tooth!

This training workshop will look at:

• the various duties of a union rep
• where you can get help, advice and support
• how the machinery of negotiation works
• what a 'referral' is and how to fill one in
• the role of your branch and your grades committee

And there will be useful materials for you to take away with you.

This workshop is also running on the following afternoon in east London - details here.

1. Mystery shoppers - report here

2. Complexity review - The complexity committee will visit High Barnet on 24 February, and Acton Town on a date yet to be finalised, with a view to uprating these stations and thus bringing about a pay rise for Supervisors.

This poster appears at various locations around the Underground network (this one at Hainault station).

It reads Top up your Oyster when you pop to the shop - and avoid the queue at the station

It may as well read Go away and buy your Oyster top-up somewhere else - and if enough of you do that, we’ll close this station’s ticket office.

It is a graphic example of how London Underground is deliberately driving business away from its own ticket offices in order to prepare for ticket office closures. And it’s a graphic example of why staff need to get active in RMT’s fight to defend ticket offices and jobs.

RMT's success in protecting staff's rights was confirmed when yesterday's Stations & Revenue Council meeting endorsed the outcome of the S&D forum meeting about ‘mystery shopper’ surveys - details here. The company will now send out guidelines to managers (attached).

RMT has successfully demanded that London Underground management remove from the Intranet a document about the Special Requirements Team (SRT) which sets out new working conditions and unacceptable disciplinary procedures.

RMT Revenue Control rep Tony Rowntree recently emailed Network Rail protesting against the proposed loss of 1500 jobs on the mainline network as reported in RMT News. Below is Network Rail's reply, and below that are some comments from RMT head office countering that reply.

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The following resolution was carried unanimously at the Regional Council meeting on 28 January, and will now be discussed by the union's national Executive.

This Union has not been consulted on the implementation of the £5 minimum top up at Ticket offices. We believe this policy is both an attack on customers, especially poorer people, and a threat to the future of ticket offices and jobs.

The third Issue of the Easthammer newsletter is now uploaded to the web with a copy here as well please distribute it as widely across the group/Branch as possible.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download and print RMT's leaflet explaining to the public our opposition to London Undergrond's new policy of a five pound minimum for Oyster top-ups at the ticket office window. Print it two-sided, then slice it into three!

Below is a copy of the joint collective grievance raised by SAMF's across the network and managements response.

Collective Grievance.

UPDATE: At the latest count, there are 674 names on the petition - and it has been online for less than a week!!

London Underground plans to close or cut most of its ticket offices, and to reduce station staffing by over 1,000 staff. To provide customer service and safety, London Underground stations need more staff not fewer. Popular opposition stopped planned ticket office closures in 2008; now we need the same popular opposition to stop them again.

RMT has set up a petition against the job cuts on the 10 Downing Street website. It will take you just a minute or so to add your name, and give a big boost to our campaign to save jobs.

Click here to sign the petition.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download and print the 2010 'Contact RMT' poster for station and revenue staff. Local reps should write their name and contact details in the large green box, and make sure the poster is up in every union notice case at work!

Following the cancellation of last week's Director's meeting, union representatives will meet a Director to discuss filling vacancies and avoiding displacements on Wednesday 27 January at 11am.

Check back here for a report after the meeting.

Dear Colleague,
Please find the attached newsletter For The Record for the RMT members of Liverpool Street Group.

You will notice that there are a number of underlined words and phrases. If you click on there you will be forwarded to a webpage relating to the something in the newsletter (if you are connected to the net that it. Some will open up an email window.

Please pass it on to any members of staff you know who are RMT member, but do not use TfL email addresses. A limited number of printed copies will be available.

The new issue of RMT Platform - our newsletter for station and revenue staff - reveals London Underground's plan to slash up to 1,200 jobs and close around half the Tube's ticket offices. It also reports the latest position for 'over-establishment' staff, the company's attempts to scrap SATS duties, and RMT's ongoing efforts to win better rights for Underground workers.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download it. Please distribute widely around workplaces and to staff.

1. RMT is London Undergrond's largest trade union - bigger than all the others put together. This gives us the clout to win for workers. And the more staff join up, the more clout we will have and the more we can win.

2. RMT is London Underground's only all-grades union - the only union that can represent you whatever grade your career takes you to - staying on stations, or moving on to revenue control, driver, admin, training, service control, engineering, or any other area.