THE RAIL industry remains, despite privatisation, a stronghold of
trade unionism. ASLEF has 95% of its eligible members, whilst 70,000
other rail workers are RMT members.
An ASLEF member
There also remain important elements of workers’ control. The time a
train driver is allowed to learn a route is agreed between local
management and union reps. Drivers’ and guards’ working days are set out
in diagrams which union reps have the right to check and reject if they
don’t conform to negotiated agreements.
These rights are under threat in disputes looming at Central Trains
and Midland Mainline. Midland Mainline drivers are to be balloted for
industrial action after management failed to adhere to agreements about
the 2004 pay award, about the unreasonable refusal to grant applications
for leave, an unfair policy on Specially Monitored Employees, and
threats to ASLEF representatives.
Central Trains drivers are to be balloted over management imposition
of links. A link encompasses the work a driver is expected to do over a
number of weeks and should be jointly agreed by management and union
reps.
Central Trains bosses could not get agreement at Birmingham New
Street, Crewe and Wolverhampton depots, so they imposed their own ideas.
When an ASLEF rep at Crewe put out a notice explaining the issues to
members, he was accused of inciting unofficial industrial action and
threatened with disciplinary action. The chair of ASLEF’s negotiating
committee, who works at Birmingham, was also threatened.
In both cases, Midland Mainline and Central, the franchises will end
in November 2007. Management clearly intend to have a cost-cutting spree
now to make themselves look good before the new franchises.
Ballots close on 9 January in both cases, which ASLEF must win.
Meanwhile the RMT is balloting hundreds of Central Trains guards for
strike action on 27 December and 2 January, over management’s refusal to
offer any additional payment for working on days which most other
workers consider bank holidays. The ballot closes 20 December.
