RMT members at Northern Rail have voted for strike action against sackings and casualisation.’
In a statement the RMT said: ‘Northern Rail management have run a cynical campaign throughout the balloting period attempting to bully staff through a series of attacks on RMT union officials and a barrage of totally false propaganda.
‘Despite that members have voted by almost 58% for action.
‘The result will now be considered by the union’s executive.
‘The dispute is over a growing move to casualise rail functions through the use of cheapskate agencies at the expense of permanent jobs and negotiated pay and working conditions.
‘We have completely destroyed Northern Rail’s bogus claims that they are only “trialling” the use of casual staff when the fact is that over a period of time they have escalated the use of agency workers into core areas of their business with the sole objective of being able to undercut pay and conditions while opening up the opportunity to hire and fire at will.
‘We have said throughout that there is no doubt that the company policy is to roll out the use of casual staff into all possible areas of their operations, effectively delivering skilled rail jobs on the “lump”, impacting on all permanent staff in the name of “flexibility” and profit.
‘That is why RMT balloted all members for strike action because every single employee is threatened by this introduction of wholesale casualisation by stealth.’
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: ‘It is a tribute to our members that despite an unprecedented campaign of individual pressure through a highly-resourced campaign of intimidation by the company they have stood firm and voted for action.
‘We are angry that instead of sitting down with the union to address the issues at the heart of this dispute, management have resorted to a campaign of smears and personal attacks in a desperate attempt to influence the outcome of this secret trade union ballot.
‘With this mandate secured there is no excuse for the company to continue to refuse to enter meaningful talks.
‘There is rock-sold evidence of a deliberate and cynical drive to use casual, agency staff to undermine job security, pay and working conditions on Northern Rail and our members are furious that not only have the company refused to stop this practice but they are driving it forwards.
‘Everyone in the workforce knows it because they can see it with their own eyes.
‘Casualisation is now the policy of Northern as they seek to deliver core rail jobs on the “lump” and if it isn’t stopped now there is no question they will seek to roll it out across all grades and that is why all members have been balloted – gate line today, the rest tomorrow if we don’t call a halt now.
‘The union’s executive will now consider this result, but RMT’s core demand could not be clearer, an immediate end to Northern Rail casualising the workforce.
‘If there is work that needs doing, it should be done by permanently employed staff on decent pay and conditions, including the current agency staff, and not by an exploited, short-term workforce paid a pittance and denied the most basic of workplace benefits and who can be hired and fired at will in the name of pumping up profits.’
Meanwhile, Unite has issued formal notice of a strike ballot to Veolia Environmental Services, which carries out household waste collections on behalf of Bromley Council and Croydon Council in London.
The union aims to begin balloting its members from May 31.
Veolia has offered its workers a two per cent increase.
But the union has turned this down in Bromley and in Croydon.
And with pay talks set to begin in Camden, Unite members in north London could also be balloted for strike action.
Onay Kasab, a Unite regional officer for North London, said: ‘We hope by the time talks begin at Camden the company will have seen sense and are prepared to make an offer that starts to deal with the very real financial pressures that our members are having to cope with.
‘However, if a fair offer is not made we will have no hesitation in recommending to our members that they join with colleagues in Bromley and Croydon and that they too are balloted for strike action.
‘Veolia UK has a profit turnover of £121m.
‘It is the case that 40 top managers on Camden Council earn in excess of £100,000 a year.
‘Camden Council has the highest number of people earning that figure in the country.
‘So don’t let anybody tell us the money is not there – but we do not demand council taxpayers pick up the bill.
‘It’s our members who create the £121m profits for Veolia.
‘It’s about time our members got a fair share.
‘In Bromley, the implementation date for any new pay arrangements was November last year – we have been very patient, but enough is enough.’
• The GMB, the union for ambulance staff, has been informed that the London Ambulance Service (LAS) proposes to dispatch frontline ambulance crews to emergency calls who are less qualified than those currently deployed.
At the moment an ambulance which attends an emergency is crewed by a qualified paramedic and a qualified medical technician. LAS propose to replace the qualified medical technician with a less qualified A&E Emergency Care Support Worker.
Brendan Kemp GMB Regional Officer said ‘LAS plan to replace a qualified medical technician with an A&E Emergency Care Support Worker who will have very limited training to cope with many medical situations.
A&E Emergency Care Support Workers are unhappy with this situation as extra responsibility is being pushed onto them without the adequate training.
Paramedics are also unhappy with this situation. This is because not only are they left to deal with the emergency situation but, as the senior qualified member of the crew on the vehicle, they will also be responsible for the actions of their assistant.
This will put even more pressure on the paramedic when they are dealing with multiple and/or complex cases. This will undoubtedly result in a situation which may cost lives.
GMB will protect its members from being in situations that may cause them to be blamed for an occurrence that has been undoubtedly manufactured by the ambulance service quest to save money.
GMB has raised concerns and are currently in consultation with the LAS. The consultation process is on-going and will keep members informed of progress as it develops.
Staff joined the ambulance service because they care about the lives of the people they attend to in emergencies. They are very upset that they will not be able to fulfill the role required due to these pressures.
GMB will seek to protect ambulance staff and the members of the public from the ambulance service’s crusade to save money at the cost of the public’s health.’
Tony Hughes GMB lead NHS Organiser added: ‘If these plans go ahead we will see a reduction in level of service as we have already seen in other parts of the country.
‘Everyone believes that when you call the ambulance service a paramedic will attend. This will be less likely if LAS bring in its new staffing structure. These changes will leave patients at risk and undoubtedly result in a situation which may cost lives’
