Referral from Embankment group: proposed roster changes

Local management are trying to cut a Supervisor post at Mansion House, claiming that the meal break turn is no longer needed. The GSM originally claimed that this was due to the closure of Blackfriars station, but management also claimed that absenteeism was an issue. RMT opposes this move, because:

Your rep’s report of the main issues at the level one meeting between local reps and management on 17th February.
Read the report below, or click '1 attachment' / file name to download it as a PDF.

SRT covering SATS - again!
The SRT framework agreement states SRT should not cover any rostered duties unless the station falls below minimum numbers at short notice.

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.

London Underground has decided that all additional station staff duties required by project work must be covered by the Special Requirements Team - even where there are existing project CSAs at that location. As a result, those staff face being forced to move away to a work location where they do not want to work, and will be replaced by people who are not nearly as familiar with the station.

The station which this will affect immediately is Bank/Monument, which has just completed phase 1 of its project work but still has several more phases to go, and will not be completed for several years. As ‘On The Move’ recently pointed out, the Bank/Monument complex is the largest underground railway station in Europe. There are already serious concerns about staffing levels, assaults and evacuation times on the station, and replacing staff who are familiar with the running of the station and well-versed in evacuation procedures can only make these problems worse.

Yesterday, RMT (and TSSA) met with London Underground to demand an end to the company using the Special Requirements Team (SRT) in breach of its own rules. Regional Organiser Steve Hedley and Stations & Revenue Council representatives Janine Booth and John Kelly attended the meeting with London Underground Director George McInulty and members of his team.

RMT caught management out using SRT staff to cover resident staff attending a 'briefing' about the Jubilee line project. This is clearly a breach of SRT Framework Agreement, under which SRT staff can not cover rostered duties. So we raised the issue at the Stations & Revenue Council meeting on 24 September.

The new issue of RMT Platform reveals LUL's plans to drive away custom from ticket offices as a prelude to attacking jobs. It also reports on RMT's efforts to win justice for members who could not get to work because of last week's snow, the unproductive SRT Review, plans for a strike ballot on Willesden Green group, and management's latest escalation of its attendance clampdown.

The Review of the Special Requirements Team took place on Monday 19 January 2009. This had been set up to look at how the SRT was running six months after it was established. However, your RMT reps were deeply dissatisfied with management's conduct of the review, which we believe leaves many of the issues important to SRT and other station staff unresolved.

If you are a member of station staff you will for the most part experience the same problems whether you are in the SRT, Group Reserve or Rostered. Since the SRT came into existence 6 months ago there have been some minor tensions between some resident station staff and some SRT staff but for the most part we have all tried our best to get on and work together.

On 19 January, LUL management and union reps will meet to review the functioning of the Special Requirements Team. RMT has submitted the following items. If you have any other issues you would like us to raise, please e-mail Janine Booth without delay!

RMT Stations & Revenue Council representatives negotiate with management about SRT issues and help individual SRT staff. But every other group of station and revenue staff has local union representatives as well as the Council reps, and so should the SRT.

• Come to our open day for SRT staff on Monday 8 December.
• Come to our monthly RMT station and revenue grades meetings - on the Tuesday before the last Thursday of each month except December, at 4pm in RMT's head office, Unity House (39 Chalton Street, between Euston and King's Cross / St.Pancras stations). More details from Brian Haughian 07949-163470.
  

RMT has sent the following proposal to LUL management to improve the way that the Special Requirements Team is deployed and hopefully prevent some of the abuses we have seen so far ...

RMT (with the backing of TSSA) would like to propose the introduction of a standard form on which GSMs request the deployment of the SRT to stations on their group.

This form should require them to specify the dates, numbers and grades of staff, plus the reason for their needing SRT staff (name and nature of special event etc) and the roles that the SRT staff will be carrying out.

Come and speak to a Union rep to get answers to all your questions and have your voice heard. Whether your are a union member or not, we are holding an open day to pass on knowledge that will assist you in your working lives.

The new issue of our 'RMT Platform' newsletter is out now. It responds to management's letter threatening to displace CSAs, provides 'know your rights' guides for the Special Requirements Team and for weekend part-timers, reports the latest news on the new Wood Lane station, and promotes next Monday's mass meeting and the Station & Revenue Grades meeting.

Click on the file name below to download and print it. You can also pick up colour printed copies from the regional office at Unity House. Please circulate it at work.

Here is a concise guide to your rights for SRT staff. You can find the full official policy here.

As the SRT is new, it is especially important for staff to know your rights and to assert them, as management are trying to ‘push the boundaries’ and use you in ways that they should not. If they are able to get away this, then you as an SRT staff member will have an even heavier workload and more difficult working life. In addition, management will use you to help them de-staff our stations, to the detriment of the whole workforce.

So – stand up for your rights. If management breach any of these rights, contact RMT immediately.

Below is the Framework Agreement for the new Special Requirements Team. Please feel free to post comments to ask questions or give your opinions.

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Malcolm Taylor, RMT Stations & Revenue Council rep, reports.

The idea of a ‘special events team’ was agreed as part of the 35-hour week, but this has now changed to the ‘special requirements team’ and the exact purpose of its role is becoming a bone of contention. Much speculation can be made as to how management expect to utilise this team, and when they try to get phrases such as ‘short term needs’ put into the Framework Agreement, alarm bells start ringing!