Metronet: overtime ban imposed over forced transfers

Following a massive Yes vote in their industrial action ballot, RMT has set out plans for industrial action on Metronet. Here's the union's press release ...

=====

RMT press release: March 28 2007

Strike action will follow if agreement not honoured, says RMT

MORE THAN 2,000 Metronet Tube maintenance staff will begin a seven-day overtine ban at 18:00 on Easter Monday (April 9) in a dispute over the forced transfer of staff to other companies, London Underground's bigest union announced today.

RMT said the action would have an immediate and cumulative impact on services across two-thirds of the Tube network, and warned that if the company failed to resolve the dispute by April 16 strike days would be called as well.

RMT members at Metronet voted overwhelmingly both for strike action and for short of strikes (figures below) after the company refused to withdraw plans to transfer staff to its parent companies, despite agreeing a year ago that it would not happen.

"Our members have demonstrated their anger at Metronet reneging on an agreement they made only a year or so ago," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"This dispute is about honouring agreements and defending our members' pay, conditions and organisation, but it is also about resisting dangerous fragmentation that our members already have too much bitter experience of.

"After consulting reps across the company the RMT executive has today agreed that a seven-day ban on all overtime working will begin at 18:00 on Easter Monday, April 9.

"That will have an immediate effect on traffic on two-thirds of the network, and will eventually completely paralyse the sytstem.

"The door is open for talks to sort this dispute out based on the agreement we already have, but the executive has also made clear that strikes will be called if there is no sign of a resolution in a week's time," Bob Crow said.

Note: RMT members at Metronet voted by 750 (92.6 per cent) to 60 (7.4 per cent) for strike action, and by 775 (96.4 per cent) to 29 (3.6 per cent) for action short of strike.