Newsletter: October, 2009

East London Rail Branch News Vol II, Issue 3 October 2009

1

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

0626 East London Rail

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

Branch News Email: [email protected]

NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2009, 1700 HOURS:

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

Stratford, London E15… CONTACT THE SECRETARY FOR DETAILS

WE MAY BE OLD– WE MAY BE YOUNG– ALL WITH PROBLEMS AHEAD,

BUT OUR VIEWS HAVE JUST BEEN SAID!

THEY WON’T GET YOU

-IF YOU’RE PART

OF THE UNION!

IF YOUR MANAGER THINKS HE’S ALL THAT– IF HE THREATENS YOU; IF HE BULLIES YOU– THEN HERE WE

ALL GO TOGETHER.

PUT IN A GRIEVANCE UNDER THE COMPANY’S INDIVIDUAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE.

FILL IN FORM L2 (AVAILABLE FROM YOUR REP. OR BRANCH SECRETARY)

FILL IN FORM ET1 (WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF YOUR REP. OR BRANCH SECRETARY)

THEN SEE THEM IN COURT!

SPECIAL £75

STRIKE PAY

EDITIO

N...

...GRATIS!!!


2




FIRSTLY, THE BRANCH

WISHES TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IN PRIN-

CIPAL, WE DO NOT TAKE ISSUE WITH THE EXIS-

TENCE OR CREATION OF THESE ROLES.

They have the potential to be a useful conduit for

staff/ manager communication.

This is something we have always believed there

should be more of... If only they would talk to us a

bit more rather than barking orders!

Such position can also provide the individuals with

new skills and maybe opportunities to some extent.,

which is always something to be applauded.

BUT: THEY ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE OR A REPLACE-

MENT FOR THE OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED COLLEC-

TIVE BARGAINING MACHINERY WHICH IS THE BA-

SIS FOR COMMUNICATION / NEGOTIATION BE-

TWEEN NXEA AND THE RAIL UNIONS (RMT, TSSA,

ASLE&F).

The Company always loves its’ little self-delusion

that it can run this railway without Trade Union in-

put (particularly RMT), and there is a danger that

‘Communication Champion Meetings’ are an at-

tempt to by-pass Local Negotiation and Bargaining.

An example we have been provided with is a recent

Revenue Protection Communication Champion

Meeting. Items on the Agenda included rostering of

spare Sundays, performance targets, and barrier ros-

ters. These are all items that by rights management

should have to sit down and consult, negotiate, and

sign an agreement over. In this particular case, due

to the informal nature of the meeting and the fact

that there is no negotiating authority at them, noth-

ing got resolved satisfactorily and no agreements

made.

THE BRANCH URGES ALL STAFF AND

‘COMMUNICATION CHAMPIONS’ TO PROVIDE AN

AGENDA WHEN RECEIVED TO YOUR LOCAL REP.,

AND IF IN SUCH A MEETING, RESIST ANY ATTEMPTS

AT TAKING BARGAINING POWER AWAY FROM

YOURSELVES (THROUGH YOUR UNION) AND GIV-

ING MANAGEMENT THE ABILITY TO CHANGE RULES

AND BULLDOZE THROUGH NEW ONES WITHOUT

BEING CONFRONTED!

REVENUE PROTECTION

WE HEAR THAT RPI’S ARE BEING ASKED TO

SIGN NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS. WE URGE EVERY SINGLE

MEMMBER WITHIN THE REVENUE DEPARTMENT NOT TO

SIGN ANYTHING UNTIL THE ‘NEW’ JOB DESCRIPTION

HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED AND AGREED BY THE RMT. THE

COMPANY APPEAR TO BE CLAIMING THAT THE ONLY DIF-

FERENCE IS THAT THE COMPANY NAME ON IT HAS BEEN

CHANGED FROM ‘ONE’ TO ‘NXEA’; BUT WE HEAR DIFFER-

ENTLY; DO INSPECTORS NEED TO BE TOLD TO BE HON-

EST?! WE ARE ALL SUBJECT TO THE SAME EXPECTA-

TIONS AND NATURAL ASSUMPTIONS OF HONESTY ,

COMMON DECENCY, AND THE LAW OF ENGLAND.

WE HAVE TO BE AS HONEST AS OUR MANAGEMENT–

IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

WE SOMETIMES THINK WE DEAL WITH BIZARRE SITUA-

TIONS BUT THEY CAN’T GET MUCH MORE BIZARRE THAN

A RECENT ‘MANAGING FOR ATTENDANCE’ STAGE 2 MEET-

ING, WHERE THE HEARING MANAGER USED SOME DIS-

CRETION AND KEPT THE MEMBER ON STAGE 1

(CONGRATULATIONS...); BUT THEN PROCEEDED TO STATE

THAT THE MEMBER IS ON ANOTHER 52-WEEKS MONITOR-

ING! (...LESS CONGRATULATIONS!) SO EVEN THOUGH THE

MEMBER STAYS ON STAGE 1, THEY ARE SUBJECT -FROM

THE ORIGINAL STAGE 1 TO WHEN THIS IS UP- TO AP-

PROXIMATELY 97 WEEKS MONITORING!!! THE PROCEDURE

STATES CLEARLY THAT: ‘THE MAXIMUM LENGTH OF TIME

AN EMPLOYEE’S ATTENDANCE CAN BE SUBJECT TO REVIEW

IS 52 WEEKS’. CAN THE BRANCH PROPOSE A NEW

MFA PROCEDURE FOR MANAGERS... ‘MANAGING

FOR ABILITY.’


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NICK GRIFFIN?! COMPLAINING THAT HIS APPEARANCE

ON BBC1’S ‘QUESTION TIME’ WAS ‘UNFAIR’ AND ‘LIKE A

LYNCH-MOB’...???

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






BILL ARRIBAS AND THE AD-

VENTURE OF THE WELFARE-

LESS WELFARE VISIT... The Branch has had a report that Mr. Bill Arribas,

Romford Station Manager has performed at least

one so-called welfare (or ‘home’) visit in which it

does not seem that the staff member’s welfare

was his top priority, but rather, threatening him

with dismissal was!

The member concerned, having been off sick

with a serious and diagnosed on-going condi-

tion for some months now, received Arribas on

his door-step with a roster clerk in attendance.

He made the fatal mistake of not only letting him

in, but NOT HAVING A UNION REPRESENTATIVE

PRESENT AT THIS MEETING.

The facts of this meeting, we are told, is that Ar-

ribas spent less time enquiring as to how the

Company could assist etc and more time forcing

BUPA appointments on him, trying to get him

back to work quickly, and worst of all apparently

even telling him ‘don’t be surprised if you get a

letter [from NXEA] advising you they will be let-

ting you go’.

This is outrageous- although not surprising- be-

haviour, but the lessons to be learned are:

...SO ALL COMPLETELY IN LINE

WITH HIS PARTY POLICY THEN!!!

THE COMPANY MUST INFORM YOU IN AD-

VANCE OF THIS VISIT.

YOU CAN AGREE MUTUALLY TO MEET AT

WORK, AT HOME, OR IN A NEUTRAL PLACE

(e.g., café)

YOU CAN AND SHOULD HAVE A WITNESS

WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU MEET– PREF-

ERABLY AN RMT REP.

BE MINDFUL– SOME MANAGERS WILL

HAVE YOUR WELFARE AT HEART; BUT

OTHERS WILL USE IT AS AN EXCUSE TO SPY

ON YOUR LIFESTYLE AND THREATEN/

BRIBE/ BLACKMAIL YOU!

...PS: IS THIS THE SAME MR. BILL ARRIBAS

WHO, THE BRANCH HAS BEEN INFORMED,

LIVES IN NORFOLK, WAS A GUARD’S MAN-

AGER IN NORWICH, AND GOT UP THE

NOSES OF NOT ONLY HIS STAFF BUT HIS

OWN MANAGERS TO SUCH AN EXTENT

THAT A 200-MILE ROUND-TRIP TRANSFER

TO THE WILDS OF SOUTH ESSEX WAS HIS

ONLY CHOICE UNDER THE RECENT

REORGANISATION???...ANSWERS

ON A POSTCARD, PLEASE!

‘NATIONAL DISTRESS’...

MAKING A

HABIT OF

IT*!!!

*IT = RIPPING US

OFF

It is a little known fact that National Express Group

(NEG) owns Train Companies all over the world, and

Melbourne railways (Victoria State, Australia) is one

of these unfortunates. The following might sound

familiar...

NEG failed to make the profits they expected , and

tried to renegotiate their Melbourne Rail contract.

This was rejected, so they stopped financing it and

forfeited a £48 million Performance bond.

Sound familiar???

Now, in 2009, the same NEG has effectively stopped

its’ financing of its’ East Coast Mainline (ECML) fran-

chise, and in the process forfeited a £32 million Per-

formance Bond as a result. Just like old times, then!

Luckily the ECML shouldn’t have anything to worry

about... As long as we don’t follow poor old Mel-

bourne’s example! Because in 2002 they went from

the frying pan into the fire when NEG got thrown

out... And Connex took over!!!

AUSTRALIA, WELCOME

TO OUR WORLD!!!


4

THOUGHT

FOR THE MOMENT

Hadda be flashing like the daily Double. Hadda be playing on TV

Hadda be loud mouthed on the Comedy Hour... Hadda be announced over loud speakers

The CIA and Mafia are in cahoots... It hadda be said in old ladies’ language

It hadda be said in American headlines

That Kennedy stretched and smiled and got double-crossed by low-life goons and agents

Rich bankers with criminal connections

Dope pushers in CIA working with dope pushers from Cuba working with Big Time Syndicate Tampa Florida

Hadda be said with a big mouth... Hadda be moaned over factory fog horns

It Hadda be chattered on car radio news broadcasts... Hadda be screamed in the kitchen

Hadda be yelled in the basement where uncles were fighting

It hadda be howled on the streets by news boys to bus conductors

Hadda be fog-horned into New York harbour... It Hadda echo under hard hats

Hadda turn up the volume in University ballrooms... Hadda be written in library books, foot-noted

Hadda be in the headlines of the Times and Le Monde It Hadda be barked over TV

Hadda be heard in side alleys through bar-room doors

Hadda be playing on wire services- Hadda be bells ringing

Comedians stop dead in the middle of a joke in Las Vegas

It Hadda be FBI chief J Edgar Hoover and Frank Costello Syndicate Mouthpiece meeting Central Park New

York together weekends reported posthumously Time Magazine

Hadda be the Mafia and the CIA together started the war on Cuba

Bay of Pigs and poison assassination Headlines

Hadda be the dope cops and the Mafia sold all that Heroin in America

Hadda be the FBI and Organised Crime working it together in cahoots Against The Communists

Hadda be ringing on multi-national cash-registers World Wide laundry for Organised Criminal Money

Hadda be in Kissinger’s Brain. Hadda be in Rockefeller's mouth Hadda be the Central Intelligence The Fam-

ily Our Thing The Agency Mafia One Big Set Of Criminal gangs working it together in cahoots

Hangmen, murders everywhere outrage on the make secret drunk brutal dirty and rich

On top of a slag heap of prisons Industrial Cancer Garbage Cities Plutonium Smog Grandma’s bedsores Fa-

ther’s resentments

Hadda be the rulers Wanted Law and Order and then got rich on wanting protection for the Status Quo

Hadda be the CIA and the Mafia and the FBI Multi-National Capitalists’ Strong Arm Squads

The Private Detective Agencies for the oh-so-very Rich With their Armies Their Navies And Their Air Force

Bombing Planes It Hadda be CAPITALISM the vortex of this Rage

THEIR SECRET POLICE EMBRACED FOR DECADES

THE NKVD AND CIA KEEP EACH OTHERS SECRETS

THE OGPU AND DIA NEVER HIT THEIR OWN

THE KGB AND THE FBI– ONE MIND;

BRUTE FORCE; AND FULL OF MONEY...




‘IT HADDA BE PLAYING ON THE JUKEBOX’ (ABRIDGED)

By Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997). Writer and Poet; non-conformist

and anti-materialist; visionist and anti-McCarthyite.


5 NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2009, 1700 HOURS:



‘PENSIONS SENSE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS PACKAGE’

PENSION REPORT

REVENUE PROTECTION CONCUSSION!

IT HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED TO THE BRANCH

THAT AS PART OF THE RE-STRUCTURING

AGREEMENT, STAFF WITH OVER 10 YEARS SER-

VICE WOULD RECEIVE AN EXTRA DAYS’ AN-

NUAL LEAVE. THE COMPANY ARE NOW CLAIM-

ING THAT THIS WAS NOT WHAT WAS IN-

TENDED, AND THEY REFUSE TO IMPLEMENT IT.

SO WE ASK MS. BENTLEY TO CLARIFY: DOES

THE COMPANY ADMIT IT COCKED-UP, IN

WHICH CASE IT SHOULD GIVE OUR MEMBERS

THEIR DAY; OR IS THIS AN INTENTIONALLY AT-

TEMPT TO REVOKE AN AGREED PRINCIPAL?

ANSWERS ON A POSTCARD PLEASE!

The original pensions proposal from LOROL con-

tained a proposal to move to so-called ’Smart Pen-

sions’. This is nominally a lower salary (which in reality

stays the same but avoids as high National Insurance

contributions), but the Company have offered to put

20% of their savings from this back into the pension

scheme from 2010, and every year to follow.

This currently works out at £24,000, but should rise

year by year.

LOROL also agreed to try and bring the scheme to the

approximately 250 staff members who are not yet

members, and make new entrants to the Company

automatically members of the scheme in future (on

the proviso that all have the option to opt out if they

wish).

In addition they will take on the costs of administer-

ing a child-care voucher scheme and a bike-to-work

scheme.

This scheme has met with approval amongst Rep’s as

introducing the Pension Scheme saves members

money as they contribute less.

The RMT expert Pensions advisor has confirmed that

this package is well-worthy of consideration due pri-

marily to the fact that the Company will year-on-year

pay 20% back into the Scheme ; and will guarantee

the right of members to ‘opt out’ if they choose.

Members should be aware however that East

London Rail Branch has been informed that your

Local and Company Council Reps will not be able

to advise on whether or not to join this scheme, as

if in any further doubt on the nature of the

Scheme, they should consult an Independ-

ent Financial Advisor.

NETWORK RAIL OPERATIONS & CUSTOMER SERVICES ANGLIA

ROUTE- BREACH OF PTR&R ARRANGEMENTS

This Branch is appalled that in the two months since the Staff Side of the Anglia Area

Council declared a further dispute over management breaches of the Promotion,

Transfer, Redundancy and Resettlement (PTR&R) arrangements, management have called no ‘Avoidance of

Dispute’ meeting.

We believe this clearly demonstrates that Network Rail has no intention of adhering to PTR&R from this point

on.

Therefore this Branch calls upon the General Grades Committee to request the General Secretary launches a

campaign to raise the awareness of our Network Rail members of what is at stake in a climate of numerous

signalling concentration schemes aimed at cutting signalling and maintenance jobs should management be

given ‘carte-blanche’ to make us many compulsory redundancies as they see fit.

The Branch also calls upon the General Grades Committee to instruct the General Secretary to immediately bal-

lot our Anglia Route Operations and Customer Services for industrial action and to be prepared to hold a na-

tional ballot for industrial action should management remain intransigent.


6 NEXT BRANCH MEETING: TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2009, 1700 HOURS:



SUSPENSION OF BRO. GLENN WALLIS,

SIGNALLER, SOUTH TOTTENHAM BOX,

NETWORK RAIL OPERATIONS & CUS-

TOMER SERVICES ANGLIA ROUTE

This Branch is deeply concerned to learn of the

unwarranted suspension from duty of Brother

Glenn Wallis, Signaller, for carrying out his duties

as a Safety Representative. The fact that he is also a

Local Staff Representative and Secretary of the

Staff Side of the Anglia Operations and Customer

Services Area Council, which is currently in dispute

with Network Rail management, cannot be merely

coincidental.

Brother Wallis is clearly being victimised for his

Trade Union duties by a management that ap-

pears to believe it can simply ignore all of its’

agreements with this Union and its’ obligations

under the law as laid down in the Health & Safety

at Work Act 1974.

Brother Wallis, a member and ex-Chairperson of

this Branch, has been an RMT member for 21 years

and has been representing members for 19 years.

This Branch therefore requests that the General

Grades Committee instructs the General Secretary

to demand of Network Rail management the im-

mediate and full re-instatement of Brother Glenn

Wallis and the cessation of all action against him.

Should the Company not re-instate Brother Wallis,

we believe that this will lead to a situation of dis-

pute between Network Rail and this Union. This

becoming the case, we request that the General

Grades Committee instructs the General Secretary

to ballot all Operations and Customer Services

members in the Anglia Route for industrial action.

SUPPORT YOUR POSTIES! ‘RMT General Secretary, Bro. Bob

Crow recently said-

It is crucial that the entire Trade Un-

ion Movement rallies around the

CWU and their postal members in

what is a fight for the future of both

their industry and the essential pub-

lic service that they provide for the

British people.

The Postal workers are in the fore-

front of a national fight to protect

jobs, working conditions, and pen-

sions from cash-driven cuts, and

they will get the full support of RMT

members in that battle as it is one

that we know only too well in the

transport and maritime industries.

We can all see the vultures of the

private sector sniffing around the

Royal Mail, looking for any opportu-

nity to kill off the universal service

and turn the Post into a money mak-

ing racket that mirrors our experi-

ence on the Railways.

The RMT stands shoulder to shoul-

der with the Postal workers; their

fight is our fight, and the solidarity

of the Trade Union Movement will

be the key to securing their victory’

East London Rail Branch stands sol-

idly behind our brothers and sisters

in the CWU. The Secretary com-

mented, ‘these workers, like our-

selves are standing up to bullying,

not only in the workplace, but in ne-

gotiations. Royal Mail managers, like

our own, live in their own little world

where they can ignore trade unions

and impose their arrogance and ig-

norance with no opposition. They

are, of course, wrong: as Royal Mail

managers are finding out now; and

as our bosses have recently found

out, and will doubtless find out

again. If any of these so-called

‘managers’ happen to have a spiri-

tual conversion, they will always find

us– on the rail or the post– willing to

negotiate; failing such a miracle, they

will find themselves broken before

our united and collective strength

time and time again’.


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A L E X G O R D O N –

CURRENT COUNCIL OF

EXECUTIVES MEMBER

AND YOUR BRANCH’S

RMT PRESIDENTIAL

NOMINEE

RMT MEMBERS ON THE CAMPAIGN TO ELECT ALEX GORDON FOR PRESIDENT!

Alex Gordon has now received a total of SIXTY supporting nominations from

RMT Branches, which is a quarter of all RMT Branches, and likely to be more

than any other candidate.

So not only do we ask, in the name of the future of the Union, that you person-

ally vote Alex Gordon #1 that you recommend to all your colleagues that they

do the same.

ANYONE NOT RECEIVING A BALLOT PAPER BY 15TH

DECEMBER

SHOULD CONTACT THEIR REPRESENTATIVE OR BRANCH

SECRETARY IMMEDIATELY


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NEXT BRANCH MEETING:

TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2009, 1700 HOURS: The Railway Tavern Public House (Conservatory room), Angel Lane,

Stratford, London E15… CONTACT THE SECRETARY FOR DETAILS.

PHONE: 0207 7529 8835

Newsletter: October, 2009

Business

Transcript of Newsletter: October, 2009