Tube union RMT has reached a deal with London Underground bosses that secures an Olympics working bonus for Tube staff whilst defending collective agreements.
All operational staff will receive £100 dependant on meeting targets and up to £400 attendance bonus. On top of this, most workers will receive a £350 lump sum, which will not be conditional on working outside of existing agreements. Drivers will receive a higher bonus (£500). While the disparity is unfortunate, it stems largely from the eagerness of drivers-only union ASLEF to rush into a unilateral deal that traded drivers’ working hours for a little extra money.
Although not perfect, the Olympics deal shows that bosses’ threats to effectively rip up collective agreements can be fought off if unions stand their ground and refuse to sell workers’ rights for a few more pounds in members’ pockets.
This deal does not mean the end of problems for London Underground workers concerning the Olympics though, and RMT activists are on standby for battles with the company over allocation of duties, over-stretched staffing and potential breaches of safety.
The union is pursuing a separate dispute relating to Incident Customer Service Assistants (ICSAs), administrative staff trained in just a single day to cover CSAs’ duties. London Underground is insisting on counting ICSAs towards the minimum number of staff who must be on duty on a station for it to remain open. In doing so, the company is putting passengers’ safety at risk, as well as preparing to further slash stations jobs once the Games are over. Activists are pushing for a ballot for action short of a strike over this issue and are agitating amongst RMT’s members in the Station Supervisor grade to refuse to open stations where ICSAs are used to plug staffing gaps.
On Monday 11 June, RMT will declare the results of three other industrial action ballots of London Transport workers. London Underground service control staff are fighting shabby treatment by their employer; Cubic workers, who fix ticket machines and gates, are demanding decent pay and Olympic reward; and Transport for London staff are furious at the company refusing to allow them to take leave during the Olympics and denying some staff any bonus at all. Janine Booth, RMT’s Executive member for London Transport workers, told Solidarity: “Co-ordinating these three ballots to conclude on the same day allows the union to co-ordinate the action too. Each workforce will feel less isolated than it might otherwise do, and we can hit the employers with a heavier punch. Rank-and-file members will discuss their ideas for action before the union decides on tactics and dates.”
RMT is also preparing to ballot its members working on the municipal bicycle hire scheme (“Boris Bikes”) for strike action, and action short of a strike. TfL has refused these workers any financial reward for the significantly increased workload they face during the Olympics, and is imposing unpopular changes to their shift patterns and working hours.
A strike ballot conducted by Unite of its 21,000 bus workers members is ongoing.
