Update: London Underground has upheld Mercy's outrageous sacking at her appeal. Mercy's RMT branch - Finsbury Park - will discuss what action they will organise to demand her reinstatement at their meeting this Friday, 20 November.

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download a special issue of 'RMT Platform'. Read the text below.

London Underground has sacked Green Park SAMF Mercy Odisi, accusing her of failing to account for around £400.

But Mercy wasn’t even told there was a discrepancy on her account until more than three months after it happened!

From then on, there was a catalogue of injustice in how management investigated and prosecuted this case. On 8 October, LUL sacked Mercy. Her appeal was held on 30 October; the result is due by 13 November.

Mercy Odisi is innocent. She has been fitted up, treated like a thief with no evidence to back up such allegations.

Mercy’s sacking is a clear miscarriage of justice.

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.

This is the section of the section of the General Secretary's report to RMT's 2009 AGM concerning the the union's work on black and ethnic minority workers' issues ...

BLACK & ETHNIC SURVEY

RMT has demanded that London Underground stop its victimisation of Waterloo station staff representative Elaine Holness (pictured).

On 5 March, Elaine went to work at Waterloo and was informed that she was stood down from duties pending an investigation into allegations that she 'racially harassed' a manager. What had she done to warrant this? She had given evidence at an Employment Tribunal in support of sacked RMT member Mo Makhboul which included criticising a manager. When Elaine attended a fact-finding interview, management told her that the investigation would be taken via Route C which could lead to dismissal.

Welcome to the RMT Finsbury Park Branch No. 0543

We Welcome and represent all RMT members on the Victoria Line & Piccadilly Line North ( Knightsbridge to Cockfosters). This includes Train Drivers, depot staff,Station and Revenue Control staff in our area.

Additionally we represent most cleaning grades members throughout London Underground.

The branch meets on the first and second Thursday of the month at 4pm very close to Finsbury Park station.
We meet at The Twelve Pins, 263 Seven Sisters road, London N4 2DE. www.twelvepinspub.co.uk/pub.html

Here is information about RMT's forthcoming conferences for black and ethnic minority members, and for women members.

Compared with some other sections of the rail and transport industry, London Underground's stations and revenue workforce includes a relatively high number of women and is ethnically diverse. It would therefore be good if lots of members from our grades put themselves forward to be delegates.

RMT's national Black and Ethnic Minority Members' conference takes place on 16th/17th March 2009. London Transport Regional Council is hosting the 2009 conference, and invites branches or individual members to attend the conference and come to the planning meeting.

Planning meeting: Monday 5th January, 18:00, Bernie Grant Centre, Tottenham, London N15.

If you are interested in taking part, please ring or text Glenroy on 07956-133450.

RMT has produced a booklet providing a guide for reps on new legislation concerning immigration checks at work. The booklet is attached as a PDF and the text is reproduced below ...

NATIONAL UNION OF RAIL, MARITIME AND TRANSPORT WORKERS
IMMIGRATION CHECKS AT WORK: A reps guide

Dear Colleague,

During the last two years the call for an amnesty for illegal immigation has become wide spread. Who are those calling for such an amnesty? Surprisingly many are party leaders and others political leaders seeking the UK to adopt similar policies to France, Italy, Greece and Spain.

The BBC Panorama programme entitled The Secret Policeman Returns charted progress at encouraging black and minority ethnic (BME) people into the force since a similar programme exposed racism among police recruits five years ago.

However shocking evidence was revealed into racism in the British Transport Police. The programme highlights an incident that took place two weeks ago in which two Asian British Transport police sergeants found the Ku Klux Klan emblem and other racist graffiti scraped into their lockers at their station in Stockwell, London.