EUROSTAR: BRUSSELS OPERATIONAL CONTROL CENTRE

Our ref: HSR

Head Office Circular: NP/274/24

12^th November 2024

To: The Secretary

EURO PASSNGER SERVICES BRANCH

REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

Dear Colleague

 

EUROSTAR: BRUSSELS OPERATIONAL CONTROL CENTRE

 

Further to Head Office Circular NP/216/24, dated 6^th September 2024, I can report that, following receipt of correspondence from the company and an updated report from the lead officer recommending that a meeting be convened of our relevant safety reps and the NEC to consider the contents of said correspondence, such a meeting took place on 4^th November 2024.

 

            At its meeting on 7^th November 2024, your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its health and safety sub-committee:

 

            We thank our Eurostar safety reps for meeting with the sub-committee and providing a report of their meeting that day with Eurostar management.

 

            We note that there are still safety-related outstanding areas of concern which have not been addressed by the company including lack of operational knowledge and adequate staffing within the current control structure, issues with speed restrictions, increase in safety critical faults and problems with the booking on process which could lead to late provision of notices etc.

 

            The General Secretary is instructed to advice members of the company’s work safe procedure, further advising them that they will receive the full support of this union should they invoke this procedure. The General Secretary is further instructed to prepare a press release outlining the union’s concerns, noting the time taken to address our concerns thus far, with our reps’ efforts meeting a wall of silence, and that we will ballot our Eurostar membership should matters not be addressed soonest to our satisfaction.

 

            Relevant Branches and Regional Councils to be notified.

 

I am acting in line with these instructions; I remind members of your rights under the company’s Work Safe Procedure and in legislation (Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996). You should remove yourself to a place of safety if you feel you are in serious and imminent danger and not to work if you believe your safety is compromised. I refer you also to RMT’s booklet on Serious and Imminent Danger, which can be viewed at:

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/serious-and-imminent-danger-booklet/.

 

            Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Michael Lynch 

General Secretary