Swift action by RMT representatives has led to Acton Town group management withdrawing attempts to have CSAs "babysit" stations ie. work alone, covering the Supervisor's duty.

RMT strongly objects to this practice, because:

• CSAs are entitled to work with a Supervisor, as without one they are unsafe and vulnerable;
• a lower-paid grade should not have to do a higher-paid grade's duties "on the cheap";
• CSAs are not trained or qualified to deal with various incidents or issues that might crop up at the station;
• Supervisors were available to work the duties on overtime, but management were refusing to allow them to do so, in order to save money;
• management have previously insisted on their "right" to have CSAs (or SAMFs) babysit stations in an emergency eg. if a Supervisor calls in sick at the last minute - but planning babysitting days in advance goes well beyond this;
• this is yet another attempt by management to undermine station staffing with the long-term (or not so long-term!) intention of cutting staffing levels.

Late last week, management published duty sheets showing CSAs "babysitting" late turns at Alperton, Park Royal and Sudbury Town. Local RMT rep Hughie Walsh acted quickly to raise objections with local management and to demand an emergency Level 1 meeting.

RMT's Stations Safety Council contacted management stating emphatically that the duty sheets were unacceptable, as they put staff and passengers at risk, and:

• breached LU's Safety Certification and Authorisation Document (safety case) that every station has a certain number of Station Supervisors allocated to it and the Supervisors are there to deploy and supervise their staff at that location
• breached Rule Book 11 8.2, which states that every effort should be made to ensure that stations are supervised by a competent and familiarised Station Supervisor
• raised various other issues, including: who is supervising staff? who is booking on the next supervisor? who is carrying out station checks?

RMT's Stations and Revenue Council reps raised the issue with senior management, and local management had to back down, withdraw the duty sheets and allow Supervisors to work the Supervisor duties!

This all goes to show that RMT will stick up for London Underground station staff, and can effectively defend your right to a safe working environment. So if you have a problem, contact your local RMT rep. And if you are not yet a member of RMT - join!