RMT's London Transport Regional Council has launched its campaign for a decent pay rise when our current deal runs out next April. It has set a timescale whereby rank-and-file members will have a say in what the union asks for, and which should ensure that we are not kept waiting months for our pay rise as in previous years.

Your branch will be discussing this issue over the next two months. So go along and take part.

The Regional Council meeting on Thursday 29 May unanimously adopted the following resolution from Stratford no.1 branch ...

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This Regional Council believes that our campaign for next year's LUL pay claim starts now. We believe that the first stage is to conduct a democratic debate as to what our claim should be. We therefore resolve that:

• RMT LUL branches should discuss what they think the claim should be at their meetings in June and/or July and forward proposals to the Regional Council.
• The August Regional Council should schedule a debate on these proposals with adequate time allocated and thereby reach a decision as to what the claim should be.
• We ask the General Grades Committee to consider and endorse our agreed claim in September.
• The union should submit the claim by October giving us a clear six months to negotiate a good deal or, if necessary, build for industrial action should an acceptable offer not be in place by 1st April 2009.

By following this timescale we should avoid the situation in previous years of pay disputes dragging on for months past the due date, draining the patience and confidence of our members.