LUL drafting in scabs...
SOLIDARITY WITH SIGNALS
Unanimous result!
Workers covered by the Signals Framework
Agreement have returned a brilliant, ‘unanimous’ vote
for strike action and action short of strike.
Even LUL can't deny the result represents the
strength of feeling against the imposition of rosters, disregard
and breaches of agreements and attempts to further outsource
work despite the disastrous experience of privatisation since
the signing of the PPP contracts in 2003. Two thirds of the
PPP collapsed in 2007 with the inglorious demise of
Metronet. This year we will almost certainly witness the
collapse of cash-strapped Tubelines marking the end of PPP.
Management believe they can have workers work
whatever shifts they like, when they like. They want to force
through changes aimed mainly at Monday to Friday workers.
Management believe they can have them work any
five shifts from seven (station electricians) and more
weekend and anti-social shift working (Technical Officers).
Further, management make no bones about the fact
that they want to rip the Signals Framework Agreement to
shreds reneging over the Signal Grade Progression aspect of
the agreement and refusing to honour the section regarding
overtime coverage in the Stations Power and Electricians
area.
And, to add insult to injury, management want to
outsource stations electrical call work to Giffens rather than
use our own internal staff.
They want to impose rosters on us all!
Initially Gerry Duffy insisted all this only affected a
small number of staff (30). Now Phil Hufton, LU’s Chief
Maintenance Officer, has made it clear that: “We are
planning to introduce a roster covering 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, to ensure planned engineering staff are
always available”. That is, they’re planning to impose rosters
on us all!
It’s not just signals. We’re already aware of new
rosters set to be brought in on Track. It’s going to be case
across the board, engineering, fleet, track, trains, stations. Get
workers working every minute of the day, 24hrs a day, 7
days a week to squeeze every ounce of work out of them.
Across the Tracks has explained elsewhere that we
face a Company Plan, a re-structure, that aims to shrink the
workforce through job losses, sackings and de-skilling our
jobs. The attempt to impose rosters is a necessary prelude to
this re-structure for management. This is similar to attacks
fire-fighters in South Yorkshire face. There they’ve
announced strike action against management plans to change
their shifts to 12 hour days and 12 hour nights.
Aside from job cuts, this would create childcare problems as
well as effectively ending any social/family life for fire-
fighters who remain as they’re expected to work hours such
as 8am to 8pm.
Gerry's Scabs!
Management understand this is an integral aspect of
their overall plans which is why they're preparing a 12 week
budget to supply a scab agency force to break the strike.
This isn't anything new to Gerry Duffy who has a history at
GEC, Pitney Bowes and Burmah Oil. Gerry was recruited to
LUL in 2004 to take us on and now we’re facing the
culmination of his strategy. Indeed, we know he's addressed
various HR personnel from banks and other employers.
The collusion continues. Just as Royal Mail tried to
organise scab agency centres to cover the backlog of mail
during the postal strikes - Gerry's now attempting something
similar with our strike. What he'd probably like is to move to
the situation at BA where the bosses are almost certainly
directly funding a scab “union” called the “Professional
Cabin Crew Council” (PCCC) who are urging workers to
vote no to undermine the cabin crew's current strike ballot
against changes similar to those we face.
Solidarity can win
Workers under the Signals Framework Agreement
are highly skilled and the withdrawal of their labour
necessarily raises safety issues for other grades, primarily for
Train Ops. Train Ops should invoke their right to refuse to
work under the grounds of health and safety.
It’s funny, when their side collaborates against us,
it’s called “business”. When we act together, they call it
“secondary action”. Across the Tracks , says bollocks, this
is a fight for us all and we will organise solidarity wherever
we can to defeat the bosses.
Strike Action: between 06.45 hours on Friday
5thFebruary and 06.45 hours on Saturday 6th
Then on Sunday 14thFebruary and 06.45 hours on
Monday 15thFebruary 2010. Exactly the same will then
apply on every other Sunday morning into Monday
morning until further notice.
Overtime Ban: Members are also being asked not
to work any overtime between the same dates and times
as given above when strike action has been called. This
is not a continuous overtime ban. Overtime may be
worked as appropriate at any other times.