On RMT's request, management confirmed at the Stations & Revenue Council meeting on 26 November that only an employing manager can conduct a case conference with a member of staff. This is because a case conference can make decisions regarding conditions of a member of staff's employment eg. reasonable adjustments, redeployment.

Dear Colleagues,

I am hearing more and more reports of members being called to attend fact-finding interviews whilst being denied RMT representation.

I have recently been given a document which comes with a message from the General Secretary on one side, and a proforma on the other. I have copied the proforma into a word document and attached it below. As soon as I am able I shall attach a pdf document with this blog entry. Please find the attached word document, and use it whenever necessary.

Have you ever wondered what information LU holds about you? Have you ever thought it might be incorrect?

Did you know that under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 you are entitled to see and have your own copies of information that is about you or which refers to you;things like you references, job applications, notes kept during recruitment interviews, or sickness and attendance records?

To all RMT members - Management have reneged on a long standing agreement whereby if you are stepped up to cover a job on HGW for any amount of time you would be paid the whole shift at the higher rate. Management are now stating that at least 2 hours or more need to be worked before the whole shift is paid at the higher rate.

This text is from trade union solicitors OH Parsons, and is the introductory section to its specific guides to the law on discrimination in employment. It sets out the basics of how this legislation works - and its limits! The specific guides will be posted on this website in due course.

Sometimes, you may be unable to attend a disciplinary/grievance/etc meeting at the time/date scheduled by management. Because of this, an alternative date/time can be arranged. It seems to be standard practice on London Underground that management set the alternative, which could cause you problems if neither date is suitable.

This is an extract from The Employment Practices Code: Data Protection, which you can read on the Information Commissioner's Office's website,

If management schedule a meeting with a member of staff at which s/he is entitled to be represented -
eg. LDI, case conference, grievance hearing, appeal, flexible working discussion, etc - on the local union rep's rest day, then either
(a) the rep will attend and be allocated an alternative rest day; or
(b) the meeting should be rescheduled to a day on which the rep is at work.

These extracts from the section of the General Secretary's report to RMT's 2009 AGM concerning the union's legal services cover some London Underground station staff cases ...

There has been a series of rapes of women in the Walthamstow area. On some local station groups, RMT reps have successfully argued that management should provide door-to-door special taxis for women staff to get home.

The union is currently working on extending this to workers in all grades who live or work in this area.

London Underground seems to think that it is OK for a manager to deal with staff grievances against him/herself! Not only is this self-evidently unfair, it also breaches ACAS rules. If your manager tries this, please use the following quotes to insist that the grievance is dealt with by a different manager.

You have the legal right to parental leave - that is, time off work to spend with your young or disabled children. This leave is unpaid and has to be taken in week-long blocks. Your rights are outlined in detail here.

If you are a union rep, and management schedule your union duties outside you rostered hours - eg. arranging a member's LDI at 16:00 on a day when you are on an early turn finishing at 15:00 - then you should get "time off in lieu". Your union duties are part of the company's legal responsibilities, so should be carried out in their time, not yours.

If you are a full-time reserve member of staff, then it is possible that sometimes, you might work more or fewer than you contracted hours because your group's admin give you more longer shifts than shorter ones or vice versa.

This is dealt with by looking at your hours over 12-week periods.

This letter is from Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary. Click '1 attachment' / file name to download it. Read the text below.

To All Probationers and Apprentices Employed by LUL - Our Ref : LUL/14/2 - 19th May 2009

Dear Colleague,

Current Dispute with London Underground.

This is London Underground's policy on facilities for union reps. If you are not getting all that you are entitled to, raise it with your employing manager, and also advise your branch secretary and Stations & Revenue Council reps.

Do you hold licenses for jobs other than your current grade? Do you regularly get Higher Grade Working (HGW)? If you have answered yes you may not be getting the pay you deserve. After an item was raised at a local level 1 meeting regarding HGW, the GSM was forced to concede that the agreement below needed to be adhered to.

Below this story is an email sent from a senior HR manager which clearly shows how LUL are treating their staff concerning attendance, despite Gerry Duffy of LU Employee relations stating that the RMT has no proof of LU's abuse of policies.