March/April 2015rmtbakerloobranch.org.uk @bakerloormt

LUs pay offer is an insultLondon Underground hastabled a new two-year payoffer that falls well short ofwhat your union demanded,and what workers deserve.The deal would see usreceive a 0.5% rise in thefirst year, and the FebruaryRetail Price Index (RPI)

figure in the second year. This offer is derisory.With RPI currently standing at 1.1%, that means this year's

offer of 0.5% is effectively a pay-cut. This at a time when theTube is carrying record numbers of passengers at eye-wateringfare prices, which increase year-on-year.

When you consider that RPI does not include house pricerises or spiralling rent costs in the capital, then you begin to seehow woefully inadequate this offer actually is.

This will be our first pay deal since delivering the 2012Olympic Games, widely recognised as hugely successful. Weare working harder than ever for our pay and face theonslaught of savage restructuring that will see our work life

balance destroyed. With Night Tube also on the horizon, theleast we deserve is a decent pay deal.

LUs offer only mentions pay. They have refused to evenrespond to RMT's proposals for the extension of staff travelprivileges to all grades, including contractors and outsourcedstaff. They have also refused to discuss RMT proposals toshorten the working week to a four-day, 32-hour week for allgrades.The company has insulted us further by offering alaughable 500 bonus for delivering Night Tube (250 now,and 250 in December if we hit company-dictated targets).Night workers will be separated from their families and sociallives for whole weekends, either working or sleeping to recoverfrom gruelling shifts. We will be dealing with increasednumbers of potentially-inebriated passengers and possiblyworking in a more dangerous environment. A 500 sweeteneris a joke. Our pay and conditions should be improved to reflectthe changes to our working lives.

RMT has rejected this offer. Talks will continue, and yourunion reps will keep you fully informed. If the companyrefuses to budge at the negotiating table, we need to beprepared to strike.

RMTreps and activists from across London Undergroundmet on Monday 16 March to discuss the ongoing Every JobMaters dispute.

Many workers, particularly on stations, are now at breakingpoint after a year of being treated with contempt by thecompany. Proposed new rosters for stations reduce staffinglevels and will wreck work/life balance, with staff being forced

to work coverweeks withoutrostered rest days.These rosters arecompletelyunacceptable, evenas a basis forongoing discussion.

The Every JobMaters dispute,which we launchedin November 2013, isnot a station gradesdispute or a dispute

thats just about station job cutsand ticket office closures. It is ourresponse to LUs plan to make 4.2billion worth of cuts across theTube in the coming years. Stationsjobs at the forefront right now, butjobs, terms, and conditions inother areas and other grades are in the firing line too.

Short of some spectacular climb-downs from the company, itis almost inevitable that we will be taking further industrialaction, including strikes, as part of Every Job Maters. Thedebate within the union about the best timing and strategy forthose strikes is ongoing, but it is a certainty that RMTwill notroll over and allow our bosses to make workers and passengerspay the price for their austerity cuts, to the tune of 4.2 billion,when top LUand TfLbosses rake it in, rinse expensesaccounts, and seem to create a new raft of highly-paidmanagerial roles every other week.

If you want to have your say on how your union fights backagainst these cuts, get involved in your branch! (See box fordetails.)

Every Job Matters

Prepare for more action!

GET ACTIVE INYOUR BRANCH!The next RMT Bakerloo branchmeeting takes place at 16:00 on

Tuesday 7 April at TheCoach & Horses, 1 GreatMarlborough Street, W1F 7HG(near Oxford Circus). All branchmembers welcome.

Being able to answer a call ofnature when you need to, infunctioning and easily-accessible facilities should be abasic right at work. Its anessential aspect of workplacedignity. Unfortunately, bossesat Elephant dont share thatview.

Around a month ago, the maletoilet on Platform 3 at Elephant& Castle (frequently used bydrivers) was closed for essentialmaintenance. An arrangementwas made to use the femaletoilet as a unisex facility for theduration of the work.Management made assurancesthat the works would becompleted by 20 March, but thishas turned out to be false. Thework was scheduled to takeplace round the clock, but no-one has seen any work takeplace during traffic hours.Management promised weeklymeetings to keep reps up-to-

date; only two meetings havebeen held. As it stands now, wedon't know when the works willbe completed; consequently,theres often a queue to use theunisex toilet, which is causingdelays, as drivers take theirtrains out late.

Reps secured a commitmentfrom management that nodriver would be disciplined forlateness caused by the issue.

We seem nowhere nearknowing when the work willbe completed; yet anotherexample of inefficiency andincompetence from LUmanagement!

RMTBakerloo joined forced with theHands Off London Transport campaignto leaflet and petition passengers atEdgware Road station on Wednesday 25February.

We distributed over 1,000 leaflets andcollected dozens of petition signatures,receiving strong support from thetravelling public.

RMTBakerloo will demonstrate again,this time at Elephant and Castle, from 4-6pm on Friday 27 March as part of aLondon-wide day of action organised byRMTand Hands Off London Transport.

For more information, seehandsofflondontransport.wordpress.com

Bakerloo News is a monthlynewsletter from the Bakerloobranch of the RMT union.

To submit a story for Bakerloo News, orto contact the branch, please email bakerlooline@rmt.org.uk, or ring Branch Secretary Jim McDaid on 07917 131692

The fight againstticket officeclosures goes on!

RMT wins 50 permanentjobs for cleanersRMT campaigning has forcedcleaning company Interserve tocommit to hiring 50 AGSagencycleaners on permanent contractsacross London Underground bythe end of April 2015.

This shows that unioncampaigning gets results. Ourexposure of AGSs exploitativepractises, such as forcing workersto register as self-employed, isputing pressure on Interserve.Lets keep up the fight and winmore permanent contracts forcleaners.Agency cleaners continue to betreated as second-class citizens byAGS, Interserve, and LU.

Bakerloo cleaners reportedrecently that AGScleaners arebeing forced to sign separatetime-sheets to Interserve staff,which are often left lying aroundwith personal details exposed.

Yet more evidence why weneed to kick out the agencies andget all cleaners taken onpermanently, as a first step tobringing cleaning back in house.

No member left behind

RMT is currently fightingreinstatement campaigns for thefollowing members who have beenunfairly sacked:

Karen Guyot (LUCSA) - a disabledworker outrageously sacked aftercompany decided her medicalrestrictions were no longer sustainble.

Noel Roberts (LUCSA) - medicallyterminated despite being declared fitby his GPand LUOH, and not having aday off sick in 10 months. Station staffin his area are balloting for strikes towin reinstatement.

Alex McGuigan (LUT/Op) - sackedafter failing an improperly-administered breathalyser test.

Clara Osagiede (Interserve cleaner) -sacked on trumped up disciplinarycharges, a clear atempt to victimise aleading cleaners rep.

Petrit Mihaj (Sodexho catering worker)- won an Employment Tribunal whichruled he was unfairly sacked for unionactivities. Sodexho have refused toreinstate him.

For all the latest on the reinstatementcampaigns, seermtlondoncalling.org.uk

Toilet humour atthe Elephant