WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND ASSAULTS ON STAFF

Our ref: HSR/2/22

Head Office Circular: NP/200/23

17^th November 2023

To: The Secretary

ALL BRANCHES

REGIONAL COUNCILS

 

 

Dear Colleague,

 

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND ASSAULTS ON STAFF

 

I can report that your National Executive Committee (NEC), at its meeting on 14^th November 2023, noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety Sub-committee:

 

We are alarmed at the violence at work problems being experienced by RMT station staff members working in South East London, a situation which culminated in an RMT member being stabbed on 20th of October by a member of the public at Charing Cross station. The member, a Network Rail CSA, was stabbed at Charing Cross station while carrying out a routine safety check when he encountered an individual who was rough sleeping in the waiting room at Charing Cross - this individual then violently assaulted the CSA.  

 

We note the work already done on this in terms of  writing to South Eastern, British Transport police (BTP) and Network Rail in order to arrange a meeting with them to discuss what control measures can be put in place to ensure such incidents cannot happen again,  and requesting that BTP immediately maintain a greater presence at high-risk stations, in particular London Charing Cross, for the safety and security of RMT members working in front line roles in direct contact with the general public.

 

We note the response on file from Network Rail. The General Secretary is instructed to accept the invitation to attend a meeting with the Industry’s Work-Related Violence (WRV) Group, whose members include most of the Train Operating Companies’ leads on staff assaults and BTP’s dedicated WRV Unit and is currently chaired by Network Rail. The General Secretary is instructed to raise this matter directly with the stations in question demanding that there be safety inspections in these workplaces and meetings with station staff to discuss safety tools; members should not be placed in a position of conflict.

 

We instruct the General Secretary to write to South East Trains members to reminded them of their rights under the company’s Work Safe Procedure and in legislation (Section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996), and for them to remove themselves to a place of safety if they feel they are in serious and imminent danger and not to work if they believe their safety is compromised, referring them 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/.

 

The General Secretary is instructed to request that the Lead Officer provide a report for this NEC on the situation once he has met with the Industry Work Related Violence Group. 

 

The General Secretary is also instructed to write to Bro. Adrain (AJ) Yates of South London Rail Branch and Bro. Charles Fisher of Deptford Branch to thank them for their work in this area thus far.

 

Finally, we instruct the General Secretary to rename this file “Workplace Violence and Assaults on Staff.”

 

Branches, Regional Councils and all affected members to be advised accordingly.  

 

I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of relevant members. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary