And continue to fight on working hours
by Socialist Party members in RMT
Rolling strike action over a week, involving all grades, has won a three-year inflation-proof pay deal for RMT members on London Underground, with no strings attached. The deal was overwhelmingly agreed by a meeting of reps from all grades across London Underground.
Photo: Paul Mattsson
It follows earlier action that defended pensions, and a previous pay deal that won an extra £30 million and gave an enhanced increase to our lower paid members.
But the struggle will continue, including industrial action if necessary, to improve life-work balance.
The strike action taken in September demonstrated the vital role played by RMT members in generating London’s wealth. Once again businesses screamed about the loss of value to the economy of £200 million but, as usual, they don’t recognise that it is our members who produce that wealth when we are at work.
RPI inflation-proof
The additional 0.2% for year three means the deal is above RPI inflation. In reality that is a token element, but to secure RPI over three years is significant at this time. The government will be seeking to enforce a CPI cap on public sector pay (the lower measure of inflation preferred by governments and employers). Productivity demands will be made in return for anything more.
We have an offer that makes no productivity demands at all, and offers RPI with a guaranteed minimum that comes into play should RPI fall. In addition, we have won a significant Boxing Day payment, without giving up hard-won working agreements, for all members who don’t already get a better arrangement.
The offer also locks in the inflating of pay bands, in line with the pay rises, for three years. We have had to fight for this in the last two pay deals, and our members in banded pay will be relieved.
Wages and terms and conditions compare favourably with other employers because RMT has been prepared to defend the position of tube workers.
The working week
The main shortcoming in management’s offer is the failure to include a reduction in the working week.
Our members work 24/7 every day of the year. Extreme shifts and night shifts have a detrimental effect on health and life expectancy. Members in many areas are exhausted by intensified shifts and our demand for additional, quality time off work reflects this.
All functions would benefit from additional time off and nowhere is this clearer than train crew. The ‘Trains Modernisation’ programme has been hidden behind a bogus four-day week proposal. Management has cynically used the desire for a shorter working week to try and impose a compressed week that will deliver job cuts and financial savings to the employer.
Station staff also want something back after years of ‘Fit for the Future’ and reorganisation that has impacted on rosters.
The fight to move to a shorter working week, for more annual leave and, on trains, a four-day week, with no productivity strings and no loss of pay, must continue. These issues will be pursued by RMT in a separate trains dispute, and in a process on stations in which management has agreed to look at the trade union’s proposals.
Constant pressure for cost cutting is likely to be exacerbated by the Labour government’s Autumn Budget. Transport for London claims it can’t afford to address union demands, but restoration of the subsidy – worth £1 billion in 2015 terms – would allow fare cuts and improvements for staff.
In fact the fight for a shorter working week is an issue that needs to be taken up by the entire trade union movement. The super-exploitation by the bosses who, vampire like, suck out our lifeblood to make vast profits needs to be fought against.