Disputes

Night Tube drivers have won their fight with management for a fair chance at moving into full-time jobs.

They had previously been locked in by a ridiculous rule that they had to stay put for 18 months, fifty per cent longer than the standard one year waiting time to move. As usual, management remained intransigent until strike action loomed, with NT drivers delivering a whopping vote in the ballot - at which point management suddenly saw the injustice in the 18-month bar and agreed to relax it.

Following their vote for industrial action (which we reported on here), RMT members on Fleet began a campaign of industrial action on 7 March, effectively a form of work-to-rule.

The action includes:

Many of us on London Underground have been inspired by the ongoing strikes on Southern, which have now spread to Northern and MerseyRail.

Workers at those companies are striking against their bosses' attempts to impose "Driver Only Operation", downgrading the safety-critical role of the guard, allowing trains to run with only one safety-trained member of staff on board.

Back in January, we reported on an imminent ballot on Fleet, in a dispute over a range of issues, including job cuts.

The ballot has now concluded, returning a 68% majority for strikes and an 89% majority for action-short-of-strikes.

Hopefully RMT will crack on and get strike dates named, ideally coordinating them with other ongoing disputes across the job, including the Central Line drivers' fight against forced displacements.

Two members of London Bridge station staff have been disciplined, and a third summarily dismissed, after they, and another member of staff (who was pregnant), were assaulted by a fare evader.

RMT and Aslef have now declared disputes with LU over issues affecting Night Tube drivers: their exclusion from full-time jobs, and the unfair application of the overtime rate (full-time drivers get OT payments for any hours worked over 35/week, for example in the result of delays, suspensions, etc., but as Night Tube drivers, on 16-hour contracts, will never hit this threshold, they get no extra pay if their duties overrun).

As Engineering Train Operators remain solid in their dispute with Tube Lines, union negotiators are close to reaching a satisfactory settlement. While the 6.3% pay rise has been agreed, management want to hold half of it back until after productivity improvements have been put in place.

Some of their changes are OK, but our right to a pay rise can not be dependant on management getting their way.

The dispute against forced displacements of drivers from depots at the east end of the Central Line is continuing. Following a totally solid strike on 25-26 January, RMT has called further action for 21-22 February.

Tubeworker is pleased to see that, following a ballot of their own over the same issue, Aslef drivers will be joining them.

RMT suspended strikes planned for 5-8 February, and called off its overtime ban. The suspension of action was a response to a new proposal from LU, made in Acas negotiations on Thursday 2 February, which involves some significant concessions. These include 325 additional jobs, and guaranteed promotion for all existing CSA2s to CSA1.

Engineering Train Operators are out on strike this weekend after management introduced job cuts into talks about restructuring and pay - and further action is planned.