by Socialist Party members in RMT
RMT members on London Underground should reject the so-called ‘improved’ offer from management.
The original offer of a one-year pay deal with no concessions on hours worked, or any movement on the introduction of staff concessionary national rail travel, was a poor one and was rejected by a massive 96% ‘no’ vote.
This offer is just the same but stretched over three years: a 3.4% increase in year one and a flat RPI increase, with no other improvements, in years two and three. In addition, unlike previous pay deals, there is no underpin for the lower paid. The deal would prevent any industrial action on the issues we balloted on for those three years.
Average yearly RPI inflation this year is 4.6%. Because prices are going up, particularly for food, already the one-year deal represented a slight cut in real wages, as it was based on the February RPI rate.
The week of rolling strike action on the tube that we took in early September was linked up with our members on the DLR, and the network shut down. It showed management that members mean business, and has forced some concessions from them, such as over Boxing Day working.
But this offer doesn’t deal with the issues that are vital for us, especially the workload demands on members.
We need a mass meeting to discuss the offer and to discuss further action throughout the network.
While the offer isn’t good enough, it shows that our action is working. Further rolling strike action can win.