'RMT Platform' has previously reported on the 'Employablity' scheme which helps long-term unemployed people into jobs on LUL. One of the issues we have raised is the fact that trainees do not get any financial help with childcare costs, so have to pay childminding fees out of their benefits - which is practically impossible.

This year, London Underground has carried out an 'employability' scheme for long-term unemployed people devised by the Mayor's office (background here). The company has now forwarded its report to us, which is copied below.

RMT raised some issues:

• We believe - as does the trade union movement in general - that people training for work should receive wages rather than benefits. However, we accept that this was beyond the remit of LUL to implement.

LUL has two 'resourcing' plans that cause RMT concern. Your reps met with LUL management on 7 May to discuss them.

1. 'Worklessness' scheme

   The company is co-operating with the Mayor's 'worklessness' scheme. Under this scheme, people who have been unemployed for six months or more go on a 12-week course which teaches them basic skills, during which they shadow a CSA for several days. The course takes them through the application process for CSA, and if they successfully complete it, there will be a CSA job for them.

LUL management are mistreating Station Assistants (Control Room) – SA(CR)s – who coach CSAs, and RMT is determined to put this right.

For a few years, some SA(CR)s have been coaching CSAs in how to do the job. Those CSAs could then earn Higher Grade Working pay rates in the control room. RMT has pressed for this coaching work to be recognised with higher pay like SAMF Coaches get. LUL agreed this a year ago, but has dragged its feet over implementing it.

RMT and TSSA may be near to getting a resolution for the long-running mistreatment of former Prestige Coaches.

In 2000, LUL appointed over 30 SAMF Coaches to become ‘Prestige Coaches’ for a secondment expected to last around a year. But the implementation of the shiny new Prestige project turned into a nightmare, and the one-year ‘secondment’ turned into a five-year job. At the end of it, LUL unceremoniously booted the Coaches back to their former grade (although some have been able to take up other posts).