Newsletter: Early March, 2010

East London Rail Branch News Vol II, Issue 6 Early March 2010

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Chair: John Clarke– 07795237318 Secretary: Ed Shine–07940340128

0626 East London Rail0626 East London Rail0626 East London Rail0626 East London Rail

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

Branch NewBranch NewBranch NewBranch Newssss Email: [email protected]

NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 16th MARCH 2010, 1700 HOURS:

The Railway Tavern Public House (Conservatory room), Angel Lane,

Stratford, London E15… CONTACT THE SECRETARY FOR DETAILS

THERE’S A JOB OF WORK TO BE DONE... JOIN We have a difficult situation at Stratford, comrades– that of NO RMT Representative, poor Repre-sentation from the Liverpool Street LDC, and no-one willing to take on the responsibility of taking this on. AMONGST THE ISSUES WE HEAR ABOUT ARE: ⇒ An Agency employee seriously

assaulted in the temporary plat-form office when a drunk through a leaflet-holder him and split his lip; whilst he is not (yet!) an RMT member, this could happen to any of the staff– and late at night, and weekends– probably WILL DO.

⇒ Members having to do ‘Customer Service’ duties dur-ing the peak period on platform 10 without any refuge against either violent conduct or the winter elements, and is forced into the passenger shelter (which of course is generally FULL for the same reasons!) or at the top of the stairs which is ALSO usually full in those con-

ditions and so also potentially dangerous for the same obvi-ous reasons. This is not exactly going to stop people getting colds, or ‘flu, or prevent MfA hearings!

⇒ Extra cleaning duties have been ‘doled out’ to platform staff without an attempt even being made to go through the necessary discussions with Lo-cal Reps;

⇒ Agency staff doing safety criti-cal (train despatch) duties, roles which should be per-formed by OUR members...

RIGHT AWAY !


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THOUGHT

FOR THE

MOMENT

Noam

Chomsky (1928- )

Libertarian, IWW trade unionist, anti-Imperialist, philosopher, spokesman and defender of the oppressed, and anti-wage slave...

Generators: A temporary generator has been situated on Platform 10 roadway at Liverpool Street. The original one must apparently be up-graded due to not being able to cope with the new Sushi bar con-cession. Bro. Nubley questions whether a Risk Assessment has been done, as it releases fumes. This could be dangerous to staff and passengers. These maybe in place for the next three weeks.

Sinks: Blocked sinks in the mess room on platform 18 at Liverpool Street. Al-though the responsibility of Network Rail, it has taken four weeks to get a plumber. It was then closed for a whole day and in the words of Bro. Nubley, ‘stank the whole place out’, with reference to something smelly in Bradford in the old days. This is also a H&S risk. The cleaner, one of our members, who had to ‘mop-up’ after the plumber had gone should claim extra-duty payment as the work involved went beyond the norm, and she has been treated abominably.

Initial Cleaners: It has been attempted to move them due to a lack of space in the locker room on platform 18 but Network Rail are not provid-ing them with adequate facilities, for example, they have provided another locker room... with no lockers. This demonstrates sheer incompetence or a complete dis-regard for staff well-being.

LIVERPOOL STREET (PLATFORMS)- HEALTH & SAFETY REPRESENTA-TIVE: RAE

CAMPBELL Proposed: D. Nubley Seconded: E. Shine

Passed Unanimously. Rae Campbell (Platforms, Liverpool Street) nominated: Secretary to ac-tion paperwork ASAP, and confirm with the South East Regional Office that this constituency is available following the Branch’s nomination of Steve Campion last year and his subsequent displacement.

Communications Office: NXEA have attempted to move Comms to the Control Room. Bro. Nubley attempted to explain the somewhat convoluted story, viz- ‘So Control are not talking to Liver-pool Street, they can hear us but we cannot hear them, and enough phone calls go unanswered, they are working at Liverpool Street (platform 18) during the day but upstairs weekends and nights’. The Branch thanked Bro. Nubley for his clear if slightly bizarre analysis of this example of lack of communication.




‘All over the place, from the popular culture to the propa-ganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to con-

sume.’

‘Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of

the U.S. media.’

‘Everybody's worried about stopping terrorism. Well, there's a really easy way: stop

participating in it‘

‘I have often thought that if a rational Fascist dictatorship were to exist, then it would

choose the American system.’

‘If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would

have been hanged’

Noam

only role they can have is to


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Annual Leave: Although it was beneficial to our members to be granted six free Annual Leave days due to roster-ing problems and an extra 11 days on top, it is ridiculous that having given all this extra leave it then has to be taken by 31st March 2010. On top of this Leave applications are being turned down due to a lack of staff. For example, be-tween Canonbury and Hackney Wick only three Leave applications have been granted. The Company have effectively offered something that that they have no intention of honouring. In the words of the Branch Secretary, ‘How easy it is to offer something that will never need to be given...’ In the words of a LOROL member ‘They’re taking the piss’

NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2009, 1700 HOURS:






Interview Feedback: Applicants for internal vacancies

are not receiving feedback on their failure in interviews; this denies them their prospects for improvement and development within the Company.

GOB Line DFC Representation: It is believed by members on the Gospel Oak- Barking line that they should have their own Functional level Representative as with forty-plus members this is a sizeable (Route rather than Grade-based) constituency in its’ own right. It is believed that the Retail DFC already have enough work to do with the rest of LOROL retail staff and that lack of direct representation at this level could mean the views of GOB line staff are not receiving the attention they deserve. A somewhat lively discussion and healthy debate then ensued, with a pro-posed Resolution, below. ‘LOROL- Creation of Gospel Oak- Barking Functional Constituency’

Proposed: L. Simpson Seconded: None

Resolution fell. Objection of Bro. Randell, on the grounds of it breaching a previous agreement with LOROL, minuted. Secretary to investigate the position of creation of this Constituency with the LOROL Regional Organiser Bro. Steve Hedley.

Rostering: There was meant to be a review of Ros-ters within three months of its implemen-tation, and this has now been over a year. This to be discussed with Joe Hen-dry before the next Branch meeting.

Removal of Posts:

Between Homerton and Camden Road, on

a Tuesday there is only one member of

staff on Spare for a ten-hour shift. The

company are attempting to get rid of

spare shifts at a payment of £750; for this

payment they want an ‘Area Relief’ which

will be multi-functional. Note that since

Restructuring, all new ‘Customer Hosts’

are multi-functional.

Taxis: Under Restructuring, staff are entitled to provision of transport on cer-tain shifts (generally starting between 05:35- 06:35), and new en-trants should be entitled to this as well as the Agreement does not exclude them. But this is not being offered and of course new en-trants are not aware of what is available to them. Reps to publicise this to new entrants and help them enforce their rights.

CUTS COST LIVES!- say NO to Network Rail jobs cull: RMT is fighting Network Rail plans to slash 1,500 safety-critical jobs. FIGHT AND

STRIKE FOR SAFETY– DE-FEND JOBS AND THE RAIL-

WAYS NOW!

trants should be entitled to this as well as the Agreement does not

Reps to publicise this to new entrants and help them enforce their


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THERE IS A TENDENCY FOR MANAGERS TO CLAIM THAT ‘THE COMPANY PAYS YOUR WAGES’, BUT AS WE WILL SHOW HERE, IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE. IN FACT, WAGES AND WORK ARE AN ECONOMIC CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR

Our starting point is that wages is the sum of money we get when we sell our ability to work (our labour power), to the boss. This labour power is a commodity like any other. Yet it is a different one to physical commodities. It comes attached to human beings who find little if any satisfaction in their work and whose 'real' life begins outside work - at home or in lei-sure activities.

Another important difference is that we do not sell ourselves once and for all (like slaves). We sell the boss part of our time - which is why the wage ‘bargain’ can some-times look like a contract between freely

consenting adults.

However, this freedom conceals a different kind of slavery. We have no choice but to sell our labour power, unless we are pre-pared to rot on the dole - and often we don't even have that 'choice'.

The wages we receive do not begin to repre-sent the full value of what we produce for the employer. What determines the value of every commodity is the amount of socially necessary labour required to produce it. The value of wages is calculated in exactly the same way. It equals the amount of labour time needed to produce what it takes to keep us and our children alive. But we work several more hours a day. The value of what we produce in these extra hours is appropri-ated by the boss as his ‘property’- or profit.

Furthermore, So the apparently equal bargain of wages being exchanged for a given quantity of work turns out to be a totally unequal bar-gain: wages are the means whereby the boss makes workers work for nothing for most of the time.

This is why employer and worker do not share a common interest. The inevitable conflict between the two is not personal,

but historical and economic.

This runs counter to conventional wisdom. The defenders of this system claim that the ‘free market’ always brings discrepancies between supply and demand; If commodities are in short supply, prices rise and other companies rush in to meet demand (and make a profit). Eventually prices fall. If the market becomes glutted and prices then fall below what the commodities cost to produce, companies move into sectors where they can make a profit and the whole cycle begins again.

Wages, too, have to obey the market: any attempt to keep wages 'artificially' high will only lead to the costs of production being too high and workers pricing themselves out of a job.

These ups and downs show the fundamentally anarchic nature of the sys-tem, not its calmness, and have produced in the last 150 years mass un-employment, famine, wars and ecological disaster.

This current economic system drives wages down to a minimum. This is sometimes disputed by the fact that a worker today, with a mortgage, car and holiday in Spain, is not living on the poverty wages of the nineteenth century. We do not deny that wages can rise: when capital grows so do wages. But the wealth of capital grows incomparably greater than the wealth of workers. So the tendency to keep wages to a minimum is relative to what is produced.

And today the costs of reproduction (manufacturing and creation, for ex-ample) are much higher than they were in the past- Workers need to travel to work, to stay healthy, to remain literate etc.

The more workers sell their labour power, the more the power of capital grows at the expense of the workers, even if wages increase. Compared with the resources that can send human beings into space or multibillion-aires whose wealth outstrips that of half the world, wages today are as much a minimum as they ever were.

SO WHO PAYS YOUR

YOU DO!

THERE IS A TENDENCY FOR MANAGERS TO CLAIM THAT ‘THE COMPANY PAYS YOUR WAGES’, BUT AS WE WILL SHOW HERE, IT IS NOT THAT SIMPLE. IN FACT, WAGES AND WORK ARE AN ECONOMIC CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR

Our starting point is that wages is the sum of money we get when we sell our ability to work (our labour power), to the boss. This labour power is a commodity like any other. Yet it is a different one to physical commodities. It comes attached

This runs counter to conventional wisdom. The defenders of this system claim that the ‘free market’ always brings discrepancies between supply and demand; If commodities are in short supply, prices rise and other companies rush in to meet demand (and make a profit). Eventually prices fall. If the market becomes glutted and prices then fall below what the commodities cost to produce, companies move into sectors where they

Wages, too, have to obey the market: any attempt to keep wages 'artificially' high will only lead to the costs of production being too high and


5 NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 16th MARCH 2010, 1700 HOURS:



NATIONAL EXPRESS EAST ANGLIA- MISUSE OF MFA PROCEDURE

The Branch wishes to echo the concerns of our Comrades in Leeds City, Workington, and other Branches regarding mis-use of ‘Managing for Attendance’.

National Express East Anglia refused by their actions to listen to or accept the concerns of this Union regarding N151 (‘Swine Flu’). They continue to place members on various Stages of the MfA Procedure notwithstanding that:

⇒ The World Health Organisation declared a Pandemic last year;

⇒ The Department of Health supported this analysis;

⇒ That rail industry is a Category Two responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, and TOC’s are required to co-operate with Government bodies (e.g., the Department of Health/ Health & Safety Executive);

⇒ And that NXEA’s own ‘Pandemic Flu Planning Framework’ (02-10-08) clearly states that ‘taking all reasonable steps to ensure that employees who are ill or think they are ill during a pandemic are positively encouraged not to come into work’. They even admit that ‘personnel policies may need to be reviewed to achieve this aim’.

The branch also notes that:

⇒ Members have been placed on MfA for being off sick after being assaulted and suffering workplace industrial injuries when their own ‘MfA Guide for Managers’ states: ‘ensure absence receives the appropriate mixture of concern and consid-eration for the employee’s welfare’.

⇒ Have been placed on over 92-weeks monitoring when their own policy states ‘the maximum length of time an em-ployee’s attendance can be subject to review is 52 weeks’

The MfA procedure states quite clearly that each case must be judged on its merits and that the interviewing manager may use discretion; whereas the branch hears that Human Resources and management view it as automatic.

The Branch condemns the Company’s mis-use of this procedure.

We believe that it constitutes aggression, bullying, and a complete lack of care by Management towards members of staff who need support not threats.

We also believe that management are effectively blackmailing staff into coming into work when sick to detriment of the safety of staff and passengers.

The Branch requests that the GGC request the General Secretary to inform the company of our disgust at their Attendance procedure and that failure to rectify use of this policy will lead to a situation of dispute, as we must protect, and the Company must be shown we protect, our members from bullying and victimization.

NATIONAL EXPRESS EAST ANGLIA- REVENUE PROTECTION- LONE WORKING

The Branch hears with dismay that a number of Revenue Protection Inspectors are working on trains alone.

The Branch believes that this is in contravention of an agreed Risk Assessment on Double Manning/ Lone Working, under-taken and agreed between the Company and this Union.

Inspectors working alone, whether through choice or ignorance of the fact that they should not, jeopardizes the safety of:

• Themselves;

• Other members of staff;

• Members of the public;

The Company’s Revenue, equipment, infrastructure.

The Branch also notes that single Revenue Inspectors are still classed as working alone even when with the so-called ‘Making Travel Safer’ security enforcement team, because the enforcement team are:

The Branch wishes to echo the concerns of our Comrades in Leeds City, Workington, and other Branches regarding mis-

National Express East Anglia refused by their actions to listen to or accept the concerns of this Union regarding N151

rail industry is a Category Two responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, and TOC’s are required to co-

taking all reasonable steps to ensure that employees who are ill or think they are ill during a pandemic are positively encouraged not to come into work’.

Members have been placed on MfA for being off sick after being assaulted and suffering workplace industrial injuries when their own ‘MfA Guide for Managers’ states: ‘ensure absence receives the appropriate mixture of concern and consid-

weeks monitoring when their own policy states ‘the maximum length of time an em-

The MfA procedure states quite clearly that each case must be judged on its merits and that the interviewing manager may

We believe that it constitutes aggression, bullying, and a complete lack of care by Management towards members of staff

We also believe that management are effectively blackmailing staff into coming into work when sick to detriment of the

The Branch requests that the GGC request the General Secretary to inform the company of our disgust at their Attendance y

The Branch believes that this is in contravention of an agreed Risk Assessment on Double Manning/ Lone Working, under-

called


6 NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 16th MARCH 2010, 1700 HOURS:



MEMBERS’ RIGHT TO CHANGE BRANCHES Due to difficulties in the present system of members choosing to change Branch (whereby new members have the right to choose their Branch, even though they may not be aware of thee choice available, but one entered into a Branch, have no right to change by their choice only by the agreement of the two Branch Secretaries), the Secretary is to investigate whether this is a Constitutional procedure under Rule or a Head Office policy, with a view to altering this current position. As it stands, once you are in a Branch, even if you want to join an-other, it is not up to you: and your choice can be blocked by the Secretary of a Branch you do not want to be-long too!

(Continued from previous page)

Travel Safer’ security enforcement team, because the enforcement team are:

• Unable to carry out the same duties as Revenue Inspectors;

And do not have the same access to personal security facilities (e.g., ‘amber’ and ‘red alert’ alarm systems.

The same objections apply to Revenue Inspectors working alone at station ticket gates as staff in other Grades have their own duties to perform, are not trained in the same rules and procedures as Inspectors, and ultimately, should not be used as ‘security’ for another Department.

Reps have been fobbed off by managers in a patronizing and self-satisfied way without addressing the very fundamental concerns these Reps have raised.

The Branch, as this Union does, believes that safety is paramount above all else, so we request that the GGC instructs the General Secretary to write to the Company demanding that the relevant Risk Assessments are publicized, that we believe Revenue Inspectors booked to work alone have the right and the duty to refuse to work on the grounds of Health and Safety, and that managers at all levels are reminded of their obligations concerning agreements and procedures negotiated with this and other Unions.

Furthermore, that the General Secretary writes personally to all Revenue Inspectors reminding them of the points made above and of their right of refusal to work alone if they feel they are being endangered.

The R.M.T’s online TV channel where you can get up-to-the-minute informa-tion from your union - and vice versa.

This is a fully functioning email ac-count – with one ‘.rmt.org.uk’ email address. You can access the service using your web browser, or configure mails to be sent and received on your phone. Includes 1 gigabyte of storage.

The union’s social networking web-site gives RMT members a place to meet online to discuss workplace and other issues in a secure environment. The Facebook’ of the Union!

Due to difficulties in the present system of members choosing to change Branch (whereby new members have the right to choose their Branch, even though they may not be aware of thee choice available, but one entered into a Branch, have no right to change by their choice only by the agreement of the two Branch Secretaries), the Secretary is to investigate whether this is a Constitutional procedure under Rule or a Head Office policy,

The same objections apply to Revenue Inspectors working alone at station ticket gates as staff in other Grades have their own duties to perform, are not trained in the same rules and procedures as Inspectors, and ultimately, should not be used

satisfied way without addressing the very fundamental

The Branch, as this Union does, believes that safety is paramount above all else, so we request that the GGC instructs the General Secretary to write to the Company demanding that the relevant Risk Assessments are publicized, that we believe Revenue Inspectors booked to work alone have the right and the duty to refuse to work on the grounds of Health and Safety, and that managers at all levels are reminded of their obligations concerning agreements and procedures negotiated

Furthermore, that the General Secretary writes personally to all Revenue Inspectors reminding them of the points made


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Yet again, continuing bizarre behaviour from certain rogue elements of Revenue protec-tion management, this time on the ‘west side’ area. The issues concerning our members now are thus;

‘VIRTUAL MINDER’: This a device, activated via an inspectors’ mobile phone, for reasons of immediate dan-ger to self, security, and others. Members are now apparently being told, after they have reported an assault, and are being de-briefed by a functionary, that failure to acti-vate it, whilst you or your colleague is being assaulted is potentially a disciplinary offence. WHAT?!?!?! It must be remembered that this was intro-duced in response to the Paul Yarwood case, a few years ago, and part of the Joint Working Party on Staff Safety. It has nothing to do with disciplinaries, and everything to do with STAFF SAFETY, if this concept is still understood in management. We attach here a copy of the original Agree-ment on the usage and implementation of this device by the then Revenue Protection Company Council and still-current Head of Revenue Protection .




‘VIRTUAL MINDER’ AGREEMENT

SEE POINT FIVE– NOT TO BE USED IN DISCIPLINARIES! This is to be pointed out to all managers/ func-tionaries. IF YOU ARE ASKED TO SIGN THIS LETTER YOU CAN REFUSE AS YOU ARE OBEYING A DIRECT INSTRUCTION– NOT FROM THAT MANAGER– BUT FROM A MORE SENIOR MANAGER– THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT, MR. A. PERRY, WHO SIGNED THIS AGREEMENT WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN RE-NEGOTIATED.

RPI’S, PLEASE TAKE TICKET MACHINES OFF RAILWAY PROPERTY! ENDANGER YOURSELVES ! LOSE US MONEY!

Further curious activities on the West Side of Revenue Protection, where it is rumoured that Inspectors are being told to take ticket machines with them when attending Court (which can take anything from an hour to a whole day) for the pur-poses of working the train there and back. Courts can be some distance from sta-tions, and for staff to take equipment that far endangers the security of that equip-ment, potentially themselves by making themselves look like a target when not insured, and a clear breach of Cash-Handling Regulations (which the Company has a supposed duty to uphold). For the sake of picking up maybe twenty pounds on a train, the Company are potentially endangering their staff, equipment, and revenue. Local Rep’s are confronting this, and the Branch will be updated on this issue.

LONE WORKING– DOUBLE MANNING

A Risk Assessment was carried out under the previous RPI Company Council and H&S Reps, involving Man-agement at Area Level, where Double Manning at all times for on-train work-ing was agreed. This principle must be upheld and defended at all times. Please report all breaches of this to your Local Reps or this Newsletter.

A Risk Assessment was carried out under the previous RPI Company Council and H&S Reps, involving Man-agement at Area Level, where Double

train work-ing was agreed. This principle must be upheld and defended at all times. Please report all breaches of this to


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NEXT BRANCH MEETING:

TUESDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2010, 1700 HOURS: The Railway Tavern Public House (Conservatory room), Angel Lane,

Stratford, London E15… CONTACT THE SECRETARY FOR DETAILS.

PHONE: 0207 7529 8835

Business

Newsletter: Early March, 2010