November 2023
REGIONAL NEWSLETTER
Issue 16
CONTACT US:
North East Region
Your North East Regional Council can be contacted at: NorthEastRegionalCouncil@rmt.org.uk And on our X (Twitter): @RMTNorthEast
VICTORY TO THE RMT We did it! Ticket offices have been given an indefinite stay of execution. What a campaign we had in our region. We never stopped during the consultation: working with local TUCs, disabled passenger groups, pensioners and local grassroots activists to highlight the massive effects these closures would have. We were everywhere – from a 300-strong rally at Berwick with Mick Lynch and Mayor of North Tyne Jamie Driscoll, to days in town centres, at stations, at Pride events and delivering postcards through doors. Local activists set up their own petitions, individuals took on letter-writing campaigns, and all in all garnered massive public support across a huge demographic. The upshot was an unprecedented number of returns via the public consultation, and we stopped this ridiculous attack in its tracks. We won! It truly was an alliance of RMT members, community and activists and was astonishingly effective. We were not just fighting the train operators, we were fighting the Tory government, and they were no match for the resilience of RMT members. You showed that these ticket offices do not belong to Mark Harper or the RDG or LNER or Northern or TPE. They belong to the community. There is nothing we cannot achieve when we stand together. Make no mistake, it is down to your efforts. We must keep up this momentum and ensure that we garner the same collective energy for the next attack on us, an attack which will doubtless be coming. This is a vital victory in our campaign: thank you.
VICTORY AT RAIL GOURMET Our members at Rail Gourmet (TPE outsourced catering) showed exactly what can be achieved by sticking together and staying solid. Constantly being demonised and attacked by their bosses and a complicit TPE, members in our region decided enough is enough. They voted for industrial action to achieve better pay and conditions and took 6 days of solid industrial action, with two more planned strike days. These two days turned out to be the tipping point to cause the company to capitulate. Because of their solidarity and fight, and only because of that, they were offered: A pay offer of £11.32 per hour for on-board hosts and customer service assistants paid from 1st April 2023 to 1st November 2023, the LWF of £12 per hour will then be brought forward from 1st November 2023. The equivalent increase will be applied to the team leader and service centre grades. Duty and leisure passes to be issued after the 12-week probationary period as opposed to 12 months. Employees will have access to rover e-tickets permitting unlimited one day unaccompanied standard class travel across the TPE network for purchase by frontline supplier colleagues for themselves, their dependents, and non-dependents. This equates to 50 tickets per year which could present savings of up to £1000 against full fare travel. Three-way meaningful talks will continue with a view to developing a roadmap to £15 per hour. Rail Gourmet has agreed to reverse the four weekly commission non-payments as well as amending the shares as necessary for the ‘end of year commission pot scheme’ for all those people who had previously taken strike action assuming that the rest of the scheme’s criteria had been met. This went to a referendum ballot of our members, and they voted resoundingly to accept. This shows what can be achieved with rock-solid industrial action from workers struggling to survive on poverty pay. Please share the news of this victory to other workers who may not be in RMT to show that a strong fighting trade union always has your back.
Next branch meetings: Teesside - Sunday 26th November, 1900 at Green Tree Pub, Middlesbrough Newcastle & Gateshead - Friday 1st December, 1830 at Marlborough Club, Newcastle York & District - Monday 4th December, 1830 at Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, York Darlington - Monday 4th December, 1630 at the Old English Gentleman pub, Darlington
Please make every effort to attend your local branch meeting - this is as always the best way to get up-to-the-minute information from your branch officials and activists. It’s a great way to explore getting more involved in RMT, and as always making sure your voice is heard. Please bear in mind branch AGMs are coming up, so if you are interested in taking a more active role in the running of your branch, please contact your branch officials.
CURRENT DISPUTES Our members at various locations are currently in dispute and are being balloted for industrial action. North East Regional Council is organising in these areas to ensure as many staff as possible are RMT members to achieve the mandates required. Gate Gourmet (LNER Contract) Gate Gourmet continue to treat our loyal members with utter contempt – despite our representatives being ensured that the company was going to table an improved offer, they have reneged on this time and time again. Meetings have been cancelled, calls unanswered or not returned and meeting links not provided. Gate Gourmet have shown that they do not value our members despite having a lucrative contract with LNER. We will not stand for this, and we have now commenced a ballot of affected members. Gate Gourmet staff should take inspiration from our comrades in Rail Gourmet whose action recently resulted in their bosses capitulating to our demands. Activists from York and District branch and Newcastle Rail and Catering branch have been out spreading the word and recruiting new members. This ballot closes on Thursday 23rd November. Speak to Gate Gourmet staff when you see them and encourage them to vote YES, and inform any nonmembers how to join the RMT. Hitachi Rail Hitachi members in the region will soon be balloted over a derisory pay offer from their employer. After months of protracted negotiations, the company tabled a 5.5% offer on basic salaries backdated to 1st Jan 2023 and applicable for 1 year. This offer has been rejected by your National Executive Committee and therefore Hitachi have been advised we are in dispute, and preparations have begun to commence a ballot. Bidvest Noonan (TPE Contract) Outsourced cleaners working on board TPE services are currently in dispute with Bidvest Noonan. This company, which returns huge profits, has not even deemed itself worthy of making an offer to its staff. We have made numerous attempts to convene negotiations with management to no avail. And we aren’t even asking for much. We want: A pay increase that reflects the current cost of living crisis and a clear commitment to work towards £15p/h within 3 years; An increase to pension contributions from the employer; Introduction of sick-pay – 6 weeks full/6weeks half; Parity with non-protected TPE staff for travel provision. Our members at Bidvest Noonan deserve this fair package of pay and benefits. They do vital core railway work and should not be ignored. Our fantastic activists at from York and district branch have been out recruiting members and spreading the word to vote YES for strike action and YES for action short of a strike. Together we are stronger, and we can win this dispute. The ballot closes on Tuesday 21st November.
REFERENDUM IN NATIONAL TOC DISPUTE Members working for train operating companies should be aware a revised proposal from the Rail Delivery Group has been placed in front of your NEC, which has since been presented to members to vote upon in an online referendum. All members should have received details of this by email. This proposal includes: ·An unconditional pay offer of 5% or £1750, depending on which is larger, backdated to anniversary in 2022; ·A commitment to no compulsory redundancies before December 2024; ·A discussion, negotiation and consultation process on pay and workplace reform which extends to the end of April 2024. We advise members to read the terms of this offer very carefully and bear in mind the pay offer of 5% covers the 2022/2023 year and does still consist of a real-terms pay cut when placed against RPI, though TOCs have committed to members receiving the one-off payment by the end of this year if it is accepted. Please note a pay deal has not yet been secured for 2023/2024; talks for this will recommence in 2024 depending on RMT agreeing with the implementation of various workplace reforms. As yet, there is no mention of 2024/2025 being even discussed. Members will have seen communication from TOCs still stating the intent to reduce the cost of the railway to taxpayers; be aware there are still many fights ahead of us regardless of acceptance or rejection. Additionally, should an agreement fail to be reached on any of the aforementioned workplace forms, the proposal clearly states that the ‘no compulsory redundancies’ will be revoked. Use your vote carefully. For any questions, please contact your branch officials or reps. The referendum closes on 30th November at 10:00. If you have not received it, please email referenda@rmt.org.uk.
RECRUITMENT AT NETWORK RAIL APPRENTICE MARKETPLACE The 2023 Network Rail Apprentice Marketplace event took place at York Racecourse on 2nd November. With the event on the doorstep but only discovered by York & District branch at the last minute, we made a keen effort in recruiting. Regional activists Jack Rawcliffe, Nathan Reynolds, Mickey Flynn and Jerry Hitchen managed to club together surplus recruitment materials and populate a decently equipped stall – arguably the best laid-out at the venue for information and merchandise. The RMT activists were present at the racecourse from early morning and immediately generated great interest. With 170 apprentices in attendance, application forms had already been handed to over 20 before lunch time: with the main event not even scheduled to take place until the afternoon. The apprentices had fact-finding exercises associated with the stalls and were also free to roam the suite at their leisure. National Network Rail rep Mark Bellenie arrived for the afternoon event, alongside Berwick Rail branch’s Neil Sutherland. By now the event was in full swing with a constant queue for the RMT stall. The interest shown by the apprentices was very positive. They were keen listened to the pitch from RMT and asked intelligent questions highlighting their interest. By the end of the day, every application form, pamphlet, torch and pen had been handed out. At a conservative estimate, at least 80 pledged to join RMT with several keen to immediately go into a rep’s position. The day proved a massive success, showing York & District’s strength as a branch, and the North East region’s tenacity in recruitment for the wider union.
REGIONAL CONTACTS NERC CONTACTS David King - Executive Member North East d.king@rmt.org.uk Martin McCleary - Lead Recruiter North Tel: 07711 570848 berwickrail@rmt.org.uk Tim Butler - Lead Recruiter South Tel: 07757 425859 yorkdistrict@rmt.org.uk Donald Graham - Org Unit Tel: 07753 748074 d.graham@rmt.org.uk Jessica Robinson - Regional Council Secretary Tel: 07784 224412 jpleather89@gmail.com We welcome contributions to this newsletter - if you would like to write an article, please contact any one of the officers above.
BRANCH EMAILS Bedlington: bedlington@rmt.org.uk Berwick Rail: berwickrail@rmt.org.uk Darlington: darlington1@rmt.org.uk Hexham: hexhamrail@rmt.org.uk Newcastle & Gateshead: newcastlegateshead@rmt.org.uk Newcastle Rail & Catering: newcastlerailcatering@rmt.org.uk North East Shipping: northeastshipping@rmt.org.uk North York Moors: north.moorsRail@rmt.org.uk Teesside: teesside@rmt.org.uk York & District: yorkdistrict@rmt.org.uk
Branch meeting dates will be communicated in local depots - if you have any concerns, please contact your branch representative.
REGIONAL OFFICES Thomas Steels House 49a Thorne Road Doncaster DN1 2EX Tel: 01302 760694 North East Shipping Office Unit 17 Cookson House River Drive South Shields NE33 1TL Tel: 01914 561308
SOCIAL MEDIA NERC Twitter: @RMTNorthEast Twitter: @RMTunion Facebook: www.facebook.com/RMTunion
RMT MEMBERS' HELPLINE: 0800 376 3706