industrial action??????????????/

[whole diary]

[Super Guard]

So if they get their 1.25 overtime rate, does that mean my salary will be increased into line with the higher levels that ex-Wessex/Thames staff are now enjoying?  The words Cake + Eat It spring to mind. 

[signalandtelegraph]

Presumably the 'higher levels' enjoyed are for different contractural commitments perhaps, a 42 hour week as opposed to 35 and a flat overtime rate.(That's my interpretation of what's implied on the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) website) The unions should be pushing for parity for all FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff irrespective of which company they came from.  Unfortunately due to the fact that union membership appears to be dwindling, some staff are on personal contracts and the lack of collective bargaining, the management have been able to get away with it up to now. 

Of course the ideal scenario would be:- British Rail = Closed Shop = Collective Bargaining = Parity  but then again I am stuck in the past!  ;
.

[Super Guard]

Presumably the 'higher levels' enjoyed are for different contractural commitments perhaps, a 42 hour week as opposed to 35 and a flat overtime rate.

Nope, 35hour contract in the cases I know anyway -- it may be different in this instance though.

I'm not moaning, as i'm happy with my contract, it just irritates me a little that those been offering more to start with, want even more or they're off on strike.

Of course the ideal scenario would be:- British Rail = Closed Shop = Collective Bargaining = Parity  but then again I am stuck in the past!  ;
.

Not a bad equation in my opinion -- and I hated maths 

[vacman]

Here is the official FGW^▸ (First Great Western) response, from some print out on the messroom table


"FGW reinforces enhanced benefits commitment for engineering teams


Yesterday the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) announced that it will ask its members in our engineering team to take strike action on Sunday 18 May, over what it calls our ^refusal to pay [engineering grades] an enhanced rate of pay for overtime and or to concede a 35-hour week.^

As far back as last December, we made a clear commitment to union representatives to give all our engineering teams a 35-hour working week and payment of overtime at time and quarter. Our proposals also include introducing 100 per cent pensionable pay in future for all depot teams.

While talking to colleagues at depots, we also made clear our commitment to introducing these benefits directly to colleagues.

Other unions voted against striking over this issue. Out of more than 1,000 engineering colleagues less than 135 voted for strike action. It is disappointing that such a small mandate has the potential to cause disruption to such a large number of customers and colleagues.

Strike action will benefit no-one. There is no need for colleagues to be out of pocket by taking strike action over something we have already promised.

We expect colleagues who are not RMT members and those not subject to the ballot to be working as normal. Contingency plans are in place to ensure services for customers are not affected should the strike action go ahead.


Engineering director"

make what you will out of that!

[Super Guard]

As far back as last December, we made a clear commitment to union representatives to give all our engineering teams a 35-hour working week and payment of overtime at time and quarter. Our proposals also include introducing 100 per cent pensionable pay in future for all depot teams.
[/b]

Damn that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are so unreasonable 

[signalandtelegraph]

Commitment
Commitment
Commitment

I note there is no 'commitment'  to a timescale by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for all this to happen? 

100% pensionabe pay is good though as long as people can afford the increased contributions.  Don't forget it will be from now & not (usually) backdated to when people joined.

[vacman]

Commitment
Commitment
Commitment

I note there is no 'commitment'  to a timescale by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for all this to happen? 

100% pensionabe pay is good though as long as people can afford the increased contributions.  Don't forget it will be from now & not (usually) backdated to when people joined.

It will probably be backdated to the 1st April, don't forget, all FGW staff had a 5.4% pay rise this year aswell.

[Lee]

Further related links.
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/05/pay_conditons_dispute_engineer.html#more

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/05/first_great_western_trainmaint.html#more

http://thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133158&contentPK=20617501&folderPk=78031&pNodeId=133174

[smithy]

Commitment
Commitment
Commitment

I note there is no 'commitment'  to a timescale by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) for all this to happen? 

100% pensionabe pay is good though as long as people can afford the increased contributions.  Don't forget it will be from now & not (usually) backdated to when people joined.

It will probably be backdated to the 1st April, don't forget, all FGW staff had a 5.4% pay rise this year aswell.

no takes affect 8th june

[Lee]

Oxford Mail article link on the cancellation of the strike.
http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2275810.0.train_staff_strike_halted.php

[signalandtelegraph]

From the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) website

24-hour strike action planned for Sunday, May 18 was called off after the company dropped plans to extend the use of contractors within engineering and agreed to pay all overtime within the engineering grades at a time and quarter with effect from Sunday June 8 2008.

The company also agreed to implement 35-hour week rosters and a 25 per cent increase in earnings for some of the lowest paid cleaning grade members.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow congratulated members on sticking together and standing up to a management that had not previously been prepared to treat staff equally.

^The vast majority of FGW^▸ (First Great Western) engineering and cleaning staff were still being paid the flat hourly rate for their overtime, rather than the time-and-a-quarter enjoyed by other FGW staff, including train-crew and station staff.

Staff at Bristol, Reading, Oxford, Penzance, Exeter, Plymouth, Swansea, and Old Oak Common in London had voted by a three-to-one margin for strike action.

^Due to the steadfastness of members at FGW, these inequalities have been removed.

^This once more shows what can be achieved if all grades organise and work together in one industrial union.

This month RMT also launched a charter for train maintenance depot workers to address the issues of disparity between pay rates, overtime enhancements and employment conditions.

^This is the first step in making our members' wishes a reality,^ Bob Crow said.

ends

Well done, no mention of the 100% pensionable pay though?