Newsletter: July, 2008

East London Rail Branch News Vol I, Issue 5 July 2008

0626 East London Rail
Branch New s
Email: eastlondonrail@rmt.org.uk

Secretary: Ed Shine– 07940340128 Chair: Glenn Wallis – 07789791224

National Union of Rail, Maritime, & Transport Workers’
GENERAL SECRETARY: Bob Crow

‘initial’ Liverpool street -
all cleaning grade members

STAND FIGHTING FOR

YOUR
RESPECT AND
DIGNITY IN
THE
WORKPLACE

GROUND
AND A LIVING
WAGE FOR ALL!

EAST LONDON RAIL as these members, em- complaints from mem-
BRANCH has recently ployed as they are by bers there that new
stepped up the campaign privateering low-wage working practices and a
to improve working prac- high-turnover sub- more aggressive man-
tices and conditions for contractors are among agement culture had
all our Cleaning Grade the worst offenders for been introduced to our
members. This is along- treating staff in a slov- members’ detriment.
side the RMT’s on going enly and disrespectful MEETING
campaign for a Living fashion whilst paying a A meeting was then held
Wage for all cleaners, bare minimum in wages. b e t w e e n I T S
and the Branch is par- LETTER (represented by their Lo-
ticularly focussing its’ en- The Branch Secretary re- cal, Area, and HR man-
ergies on those members cently put a letter in to agement), and the RMT,
employed by Initial Liverpool Street ITS represented by the
Transport Services (ITS), management following Branch Continued next page
NEXT BRANCH MEETING: THURSDAY 21st AUGUST 2008, 1700 HOURS:
The Railway Tavern Public House (Conservatory room), Angel Lane,
1
Stratford, London E15… CONTACT THE BRANCH SECRETARY FOR DETAILS


Secretary, Ed Shine, and Staffing levels need re-
Derrick Marr of the RMT’s assessing as it is clear to
governing body, the the Branch that ITS are ALL
Council of Executives. maintaining the bare
The RMT delegation minimum required by CLEANERS
made our position clear their contract with Net-
from the start: that we work Rail. At the mo-
the same time as doing
expect all members of ment, if a female mem-
there own jobs. THIS
staff to be treated hu- ber staff is on leave, sick,
BRANCH SERVES NOTICE
manely, with respect and or displaced, a male
THAT THIS ATTITUDE
understanding for the dif- member of staff is re-
AND PRACTICE MUST
ficult and often dirty role quired to clean both the
CEASE IMMEDIATELY.
they perform. Likewise male and female toilets.
WE BELIEVE THIS IS HEALTH & SAFETY
we expect the Company
BOTH UNETHICAL AND Staff are being encour-
to value its’ staff in the
POTENTIALLY DANGER- aged, if not forced, to
way they claim to; but
OUS FOR THE STAFF carry out dangerous
the RMT, not being satis-
CONCERNED. practices as a result of
fied with mere words,
OVERTIME local management’s igno-
which could be mealy-
rance of railway Health &
mouthed at best, de- When short-staffing oc-
Safety procedures. For
mands immediate action curs, there is currently
example, being told that
by ITS to demonstrate no will amongst the man-
when skips or the rubbish
their understanding of agement to provide cover
compactor is full, that
their duty of care. by offering overtime,
rubbish bags must still be
The Branch has already with the result that those
removed even though
identified certain issues who want overtime (and
there may not be a place
which need addressing need it to provide a living
to remove them to. THIS
urgently. wage) are being denied
BRANCH REMINDS ALL
INTERFERENCE this opportunity and
STAFF OF THEIR LEGAL
Local management have those remaining on shift
AND PROCEDURAL RIGHT
been interfering in the are having to work even
TO REFUSE TO WORK ON
role of the Team Leader/ harder to make up the
GROUNDS OF HEALTH &
Supervisor, for example, shortfa ll. O VER T IME
SAFETY IF THEY BELIEVE
when he has granted NEEDS TO BE OFFERED
THEY ARE B EING
breaks, attempting to WITHIN THE DEPOT AS A
FORCED TO CARRY OUT
overrule him and stop FIRST RESORT TO MAIN-
UNSAFE WORKING PRAC-
the breaks. IF PEOPLE TAIN THE ROSTER NOT
TICES.
ARE TO PERFORM A ROLE JUST WHEN IT SUITS LO-
CAL MANAGEMENT. SUCCESSES
THEY NEED TO BE ABLE We are glad to report
TO DO SO WITHOUT RESPECT
that some progress al-
FEAR OR FAVOUR AND IN Staff have been shouted
ready has been made on
THE KNOWLEDGE THEY at and publicly humiliated
some of our concerns,
DO SO WITH THE BACK- in public, in front of pas-
but there is much work
ING OF THEIR MANAGE- sengers and colleagues,
still to be done. The RMT
MENT AND NOT BE UN- even while going beyond
will continue this cam-
DERMINED. the call of duty and pro-
paign until ITS bows to
STAFFING viding a high level of cus-
the will of its’ staff!
tomer service at
2


17th July 2008
The Railway Tavern Hotel

The chair, Bro. Glenn Wallis
(Network Rail Signaller, South Tot-
tenham box) welcomed to the
meeting LOROL members John Bro Marr (RMT Council of Executives)
Clarke (Vice Chair) and Mick Klyen reported that the Driver-Training
(Stratford Guards), Ray Tatum, cases of Bros Klyen and Cooper
Lloyd Simpson, Somesh Sharma, (LOROL Stratford Guards) are very
Darren Melvin (all RO2), and Ar- different, but will still rely at this
nold Randall (Auditor), Gospel Oak point on the Individual Grievance
RPI; from NXEA were Dave Nubley Procedure as we have no reason to
(Liverpool Street CSL3), Ron be able to put our faith in local man-
Smythe (Trustee) and Ed Shine agement that their issues will be re-
(Branch Secretary), both Liverpool solved at a local or even H.R. level.
Street RPI’s. Also welcomed were
guests from RMT Head Office Sis-
ter Pauline Akrill (Industrial Rela- LOROL Management is disputing
tions Officer) and Bro Derrick Marr the Job Description, and the role,
from the Unions’ governing body, of Metro Revenue Assistants.
the Council of Executives). This position was created by Silver-
Apologies were acknowledged link Trains without RMT negotiation,
from Dan Rouse (Auditor), Tracey as a ‘cheaper option’ compared to
Reeve (Trustee), Janice Gill (all RPI’s; now the Company claim they
Liverpool Street RPI’s), and guest have been TUPE’d into LOROL as
Brian Whitehead (acting London RPI’s. Their Job Description is still
Transport Regional Organiser). that of MRA’s however; the company
seem to want to change them at will.

The minutes of the last meeting were proposed by Bro. Simpson, seconded by
Bro. Melvin, carried unanimously, and agreed a true record.
Arising from the minutes, it was noted the toilet facilities are not yet satisfac-
tory at smaller LOROL stations (Wanstead Park etc.)
The Resolution regarding Liverpool Street Gateline Safety and Staff Welfare
has been referred by the General Grades Committee to the Midland Sub for
further analysis.
There is a lack of Team Leaders on the Gospel Oak- Barking (hereafter the
‘GOB’) line on Sundays, and as such no apparent chain of command.
There was no correspondence available to present to the Branch due to techni-
cal problems this month. Bro Sharma raised the question of other methods of
accessing this information. Bro Wallis reminded the Branch that although spe-
cific correspondence is not available, all R.M.T. Industrial Relations and Na-
tional Policy circulars are available in the members’ section of the website, and
Company-related Circulars can be subscribed to on email.

3


Bro Randall reported that even
though the old Risk Assessment
on the GOB line is null and void,
the new one has not as yet hap- On the on-going issue on Manguard
pened. Agency staff, it was reported that LOROL
The first joint examination of the are apparently now training them in
line will take place on or after the booking-office duties, and since this re-
23rd July 2008 following the Com- neges on all previous promises, the
pany Council meeting. As such, company do not appear to be taking our
there is at this point in time, no concerns seriously; as such the moment
safety case for the staffing of they post one such of those staff in a
these stations. booking-office, we will be in dispute.
Yet there have been severe as-
saults on this line, most recently
at Walthamstow Queen’s Road.
The Branch noted the FIVE (four
fatal) stabbings that occurred in
London earlier in the day of the
meeting, and condemn LOROL
Bro Wallis confirmed he had spoken to the
utterly for their arrogant compla-
Acting London Transport Regional Organ-
cency.
izer, Bro. Brian Whitehead, who had said
Bro Randall demanded that the
he believed the election of Local Rep’s on
Branch, and therefore this Union
the Gospel Oak- Barking line was already
at all levels, put the utmost pres-
happening and that the LOROL manager
sure on LOROL management over
concerned, Richard Garland was setting it
the issue of lone working on
up. But the advert for this has not gone to
these stations in the current cli-
all locations, and as such is unusable as
mate. The Branch pledged its’
not every member has received one- it
support, and it was noted that
seems to be organized on a word-of-mouth
the safety-wear resolution pre-
basis. The Chair also noted that the staff
sented at the meeting applied to
side meeting this Branch requested be or-
all rail companies as well as all
ganized some months ago (for relevant
Grades.
Branch Chairs, Secretaries, and Rep’s) still
has not happened.
The Secretary suggested merely co-opting the
lot of them, and present the management with a fait accompli.
The Chair suggested a similar strategy for Health & Safety Rep’s.
Bro Randall reminded the Branch that we have encountered problems with this
before- and that we should remember that not only should our nominees actu-
ally be in the RMT, but also in benefit.

Bro Ray Tatum was elected Health & Safety Rep for the GOB line.
(Proposed- Bro Simpson, Seconded- Bro Randall)

Bro Lloyd Simpson was elected to be co-opted as Local Stage 1 Rep for
the GOB line. (Proposed- Bro Sharma, Seconded- Bro Clarke)

4


It was reported General Purpose Re-
lief Staff are not being paid their GPR
allowances and back payments (since
11th November 2007 when LOROL
took over the franchise). Likewise,
new starters (post- 22nd November The Key Performance Indicator
2007) who have finished their proba- (KPI- a pre-requisite of the fran-
tionary periods have still not received chise agreement) has signed staff
their travel facilities, pay rise, or up to something which was never
even a formal letter of acknowledg- negotiated or discussed. It was
ment. questioned whether this put mem-
The Secretary pointed out that a bers in breach of their Job Descrip-
Form ET1 can be taken out at any tions; and although some staff are
time if no Written Statement of Par- effectively- but unofficially working
ticulars of Employment (contract) is to rule- too many are willing to do
received. Staff have received their anything asked of them without
Duty/ Residential/ Leisure ‘Oyster’ question. RPI KPI checks involve
cards but are still awaiting Priv ticket issuing facilities, ‘Oyster’
cards; these, unlike FIP cards for In- readers etc; platform staff’s involve
ternational travel (which must be ap- checking CCTV cameras/ tapes.
plied for) should be distributed auto- Station staff also experience prob-
matically. lems when they are moved to an-
other station to work (e.g., on
A member of staff at Walthamstow overtime) where they do not have
Queen’s Road station was recently acknowledge of the equipment in
very badly assaulted. Bro Marr ex- place.
plained the procedure for members to Bro Wallis queried how these sta-
follow in such an event: At least six tions were unmanned for several
weeks off would normally be required years without CCTV being checked
for recovery, including at least two and maintained but this has to be
doctors’ visits, and possibly even done now.
counseling. A minimum payment of
£100 could be won from the Criminal Th
Injuries Compensation Board. Too of- th an e v aca
use nc y
sh o
ten staff get assaulted and injured w th f ul as lists ar
th e e ad e le
and return to work too early- even on G v e r t t he y d s
s e e m ra de ; is e d o n s
light duties, and sometimes don’t bu t p ay- ot
e v e r to e x i s no
pa only
even inform the RMT until it’s too t
of m been s (or at l y sc ale
e e s
late. Members should also be aware H . R . a n y y e e n e v e a s t, h a v
that Welfare Visits can tend towards ar e ar s’ n b e
see y
them resis tin service staff
coercion to return to work- attempts S is t g re ), a
er A . que nd
by the Company to ‘nudge’ you back neg krill s ts
otia po to
to work should be resisted. There is availab ted pa inted o
l y ut t
no harm in having a Union Rep in at- of the e in th e sc a ha
ph o R MT m em le s a t
tendance during a welfare visit, and n in g we b be re
th e
He l p s ite rs area
no requirement at all that the man- line , or b
agers are allowed house entry. . y

5


Bro Steve Campen was elected Liverpool
Street Health & Safety Rep (for Retail
Grades managed by the London Terminals
From: Mark Burgess-Lawrence
Manager) [mailto:Mark.Burgess-
(Proposed- Branch Secretary, Seconded- Lawrence@nationalexpress.com]
Sent: 16 July 2008 16:43
Bro Nubley) To: Charlie Cicirello
Cc: 'Mark Burgess-Lawrence'; RPITeam
Bishops Stortford Station; R PITeam Enfield
Town Station; RPITeam Chingford Station;
Bro Nubley updated the Branch RPITeam Liverpool Street Station; 'East
London Rail';
on the case of Bro. Waller ian.aitken7@ntlworld.comalan.perry
(Liverpool Street platforms) Subject: Re: DDM's

which the Company is attempting Charlie
to stall over the issue of Risk As-
sessments and Job Appraisal. 1) I fail to see why this
should concern you!

2) What has Peter
Dobbin got to do with it?

‘This Branch calls upon the Council of Ex- 3) Since when has a
ecutives to instruct the General Secretary manager been required
to convene an urgent meeting of the to explain to his staff his
actions.
LOROL Company Council, Staff-Side Rep’s,
and relevant Branch Chairs and Secretaries 4) I would remind you
of Branches with LOROL members, to dis- that I am not required
cuss organization and representation with to explain anything to
you.
the Company.’
(Proposed- Branch Chair, Seconded- Branch Secre- 5) If I as a manager I
tary) give a reasonable
instruction then I fully
expect my staff to
‘East London Rail Branch demands imme- comply.
diate acquisition of ‘anti-stab’ protective Regards
working clothing for those Grades that re- Mark Burgess-Lawrence
quire it for our LOROL and LER members, Area Revenue Protection Manager (We
st)
and that the General Secretary informs National Express East Anglia
Liverpool Street Station
this Branch’s employing companies that
failure to resolve this request to our imme- Telephone/fax 020 7465 9047
A possibly regular 431753
Mobile 07825 column,
diate satisfaction will be automatically con- Internal
depending on0059047
how many ag-
sidered a dispute situation on the grounds gressive and offensive
of Health and Safety and that our mem- emails (such as this one)
bers will assert their rights to choose to and diktats are (attempted)
refuse to work in these conditions.’ to be imposed on Liverpool
(Proposed- Branch Secretary, Seconded- Bro Street RPI’s...
Nubley)
6


The Company is not filling vacancies
on the ATG Barrier roster but re-
employing Agency Staff after prom-
ises to the contrary. This reduces
overtime opportunities for employed staff. Both platform and ATG staff
have to permanently cover vacancies. They are not recruiting and are
reverting to the same situation we were fighting against a couple of
months ago. Even when annual Leave is being granted, jobs are re-
maining uncovered. It has been claimed that this is due to the budget
being expended on Agency staff leaving too little left for overtime pay-
ments.
The Secretary stated he believed it was a principle of both this Union
and (in theory) the Company that overtime is offered within the depot
first, not treating an Agency as first port of call.
Bro Nubley informed the Branch that an LDC would be tasking place
in the ‘near future’; and Bro Wallis reminded the Branch that a Rep
can call a LDC at any time, and failure to respond on behalf of the
Company would result in an automatic Failure to Agree.

The Secretary informed the Branch that, as a continuation of these
points, there was a sever lack of transparency in promotion in both Re-
tail and Revenue Protection departments- within the latter, for exam-
ple- the creation of ‘Prosecution Officer’ grades, so-called ‘Senior Team
Leaders” (both East and West Areas), and some sort of management
post (of unknown title) to oversee the use of Meteor Agency staff cur-
rently filled by an RPI. Likewise, the use of Meteor is enabling Revenue
Protection management to conceal the current decimation of Liverpool
Street depot; they are filling minuted posts and performing nearly all
RPO duties. None of these positions were advertised; they appear to
have been created to provide jobs for suitable faces, and either way
were never negotiated with this Union. This denies staff the promotion
rights they are due, parity of esteem amongst grades, and is discrimi-
natory. There is also a member of platform staff, currently temporarily
down-graded to the Gateline who has been promised the opportunity to
move back to platforms when a post is advertised; however the Secre-
tary is aware of another member of Gateline staff who has now started
work on the platforms there without the position being advertised;
which is an outrageous situation.

The Chairman commented that since these are minuted posts,
then the Company is in breach of PTR&R and this should be
dealt with at Company Council level. Bro Wallis also recom-
mended a Branch Resolution that Revenue and Retail Company
Council vigorously pursue this matter, failing which, these staff
should be balloted: TO BE CONSIDERED NEXT MEETING.

7


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