"Fit for the Future": New dispute on the horizon?

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

The RMT's National Executive Committee has announced it is "preparing a ballot matrix" for possible further strikes over the consequences of "Fit for the Future", the massive restructure on stations that saw nearly 1,000 jobs cuts, ticket offices closed, mass displacements, and forced regrading of every member of station staff.

"Preparing a ballot matrix" is a somewhat trade-union jargon-y way of saying: "getting the paperwork ready for a strike ballot".

This announcement comes after several RMT branches on LU passed resolutions calling for new disputes, either against "Fit for the Future" as a whole, or against specific aspects of its consequences.

This is a very positive step after nearly a year of no action. There's a lot of work to do to build up to a dispute that will be capable of pushing LU back, but, as the old cliché goes, any journey must start with a single step! RMT announcing that it plans to move back into a dispute situation on stations is that step.

Tubeworker suggests some questions for discussion - in mess rooms and branch meetings - that might help us give our potential new dispute some shape:

  • What are our demands? No industrial dispute can be successful unless it has clear, concrete demands that those involved in the dispute understand and are behind. Most of us on stations would like to see "Fit for the Future" reversed, but we also know that the level of action required to achieve that would be a significant step up from anything we've taken before. What immediate demands might we focus on to build up to more sustained action over bigger demands - increases in staffing levels at badly hit areas? A review of locations and displacements? Salary enhancement for increased responsibilities or antisocial working arising from new grades (e.g. CSAs who now handle cash or ex-SAMFs who now do nights)? All of these and more should be considered.
  • Who should be involved? At the moment, RMT is talking about balloting stations and revenue staff only, and RMT is the only union talking about a new dispute. The consequences of "Fit for the Future" are felt particularly sharply (although not exclusively) on stations, but we should not limit ourselves to a "stations-only" dispute. We all knew all along that "Fit for the Future" was merely one aspect of a huge cuts package that would affect all grades; there are already rumblings about a possible restructure on trains side, and a developing dispute on fleet. We should aspire to a single dispute involving all grades, that ties the issues together. If that's not immediately possible, disputes involving single grades/functions should be coordinated to maximise impact. Other unions need to pull their fingers out too!
  • What kind of action should we take? Our usual pattern for industrial action is to launch an OT ban, then have a strike of 24 or 48 hours, possibly followed by another strike around a month later. It's rare that we take a more creative approach. Earlier this year, before a planned strike of station staff against "Fit for the Future" was called off, there were interesting discussions about creative forms of action, such as selective strikes of particular shifts. Those discussions should be re-opened. The aim is to maximise the impact on the employer. Any and all proposals for doing that should be considered.
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