Management let slip at one of their 'Northern line meetings' their latest plans to cut costs, which involves ... (no surprise)... cutting back on staff!
There will be an overall reduction in the number of reserve staff, people who are transfered or promoted will not be replaced. The result? More anti-social shifts for the reserves that are left, less flexibility in choosing rest days because less cover will be available, more last-minute changes of duties to cover for absence. These things will have a big impact on the quality of life of reserve staff.
Management may justify cuts by saying reserve staff were superfluous anyway. The union should stand up for more staff and their right to a quality of life.
And are the company not supposed to be recalculating (and increasing) the percentage of reserve staff needed by every group to take into account employees' new rights to time off for paternity leave, domestic emergencies, etc.? Reps should be asking for more reserve staff, not accepting less!
