London Underground has written to staff who are working above the establishment level on their station group, suggesting that they nominate substantive posts to move to. This letter has cause some alarm, with some staff interpreting it as a threat to displace them.

To clarify, the letter is NOT notification that you will be displaced. It recommends that you consider nominating stations that you might wish to work at. It is entirely your choice whether you do so or not.

It states that unions and management will meet on 17 December to discuss displacements. This is disingenuous on management's part, as the purpose of the meeting is actually to determine whether if the company lifts its ridiculous and unfair freeze on vacancies, this will enable over-establishment staff to move into substantive positions.

Please be assured that the only "discussion" that RMT will enter into at that meeting is to re-state our opposition to any displacements and to discuss measures to avoid them. Informing over-establishment staff of how to nominate locations, and which locations have no or short waiting lists, is one such measure.

Given London Underground management's record of disregard for the welfare and rights of its staff, it is understandable that staff might interpret this letter as stating that you will be displaced. However, this is NOT the situation.

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UPDATE (16 December):

Many members have contacted RMT since receiving the letter advising them to nominate. This has revealed that there is a big problem in that many "over-establishment" staff have been led to believe that they have a substantive post on their group, and therefore did not nominate because they were happy in that position. This is not simply a matter of the staff concerned misunderstanding their position, but of the group's management telling them that they had been "absorbed into the reserve", listing them on duty sheets the same way as reserve staff, referring to them in corresondence as reserve staff etc. People in this position have been misled and should not face the threat of displacement.

Management agreed in November to meet with a representative from each of RMT and TSSA, to look at every vacancy, who would fill it, and who would fill the consequent vacancies. This meeting has not yet happened.

RMT and TSSA will be meeting management this Friday, 18 December, to discuss the issue of over-establishment staff. RMT reps will oppose any move to displace staff.