Mess Facilities - Waterloo Station - SWR

Head Office Circular NP/268/20
Our Ref: HSR/1/3
2nd November 2020
THE SECRETARY
ALL BRANCHES
ALL REGIONAL COUNCILS

Dear Colleague
MESS FACILITIES – WATERLOO STATION – SWR

Further to Head Office Circular NP/237/18, 30th September, I have received a report from the Regional Organiser noting that he had raised the issues contained in the Branch resolution with the company through a Joint Safety Committee. The company gave the following responses:

The toilets within the mess room in the Waterloo International Terminal (WIT) were vandalised and that is the reason the mess room has been closed periodically throughout. Items found within the sewage were masks and pants which had caused the blockages.

The issues within the resolution were unknown to the Operations & Safety Director as they had not been raised with her; the issues had only been discussed at local H&S level. The Director herself has tried to obtain further areas within the WIT to use for simulators for Driver training but has been unsuccessful because of fire alarm systems and red tape.

SWR has agreed to go away and talk with Network Rail about the issues around the mess room problem to see if the areas can be reopened and she will report back her findings.

Your National Executive Committee, at its meeting on 20th October, noted and adopted the following report of its Health and Safety Sub-committee:

We note the report from the Regional Organiser. The General Secretary is instructed to write to SWR and Network Rail as appropriate once the Operations & Safety Director has reported back her findings to the Regional Organiser. The General Secretary is further instructed to request from the Regional Organiser the minutes from health and safety committees and LDCs where this issue has been raised. The General Secretary is instructed also to convene a meeting between the Waterloo Branch Secretary, the Wessex Regional Organiser and the NEC in order to resolve any matters of disconnect between parties.

Any updates to be placed before this NEC.
Branches and Regional Councils to be advised.
SWR members to be informed via text and email.

I am acting in accordance with these instructions and will keep you informed of developments.

Yours sincerely

Mick Cash
General Secretary