7 June 2023
RMT Press Office:
Bring safety critical tube Track Protection staff in-house protest tomorrow.
TUBE Union RMT is calling a protest tomorrow (June 8, 2023) outside London Town Hall in Newham to demand an end to the outsourcing of Safety Critical Track Protection Staff and bring Morson and Cleshar’s Framework workers in-house.
The union has written to London deputy mayor Seb Dance regarding the issue following a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Board into a track worker struck by a train at Chalfont Latimer in April last year.
The RAIB raised issues relating to the employment of agency workers, noting that ‘some agency staff feel that they cannot question or challenge LUL staff because this could affect the likelihood of further work with a particular group of people at a particular depot’.
The report also noted that some agency staff may feel that they need to exaggerate their familiarity with track or be reluctant to raise questions in briefings for fear of not being offered work in the future.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that these were serious issues that could not be waved away with fine-sounding statements of intent.
“These are structural issues that go to the heart of problems with this employment model and they show why these workers, like other maintenance workers, should be employed in-house as part of established teams.
“Previous experience on both Network Rail and London Underground shows that in-house maintenance teams work better together than ones based on outsourcing and Labour Provision contracted workers.
“Bringing these workers in-house would not only put an end to these shameful practices but would also be more economical,” he said.
Ends
Notes: Venue of the protest is London City Hall JUNE 8, 16:00
City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London, E16 1ZE
Nearest stations: Royal Victoria - DLR Station, West Sil-vertown - DLR Station, Custom House (for ExCel) - DLR and Elizabeth Line Underground Station
Unity House
Tel: 020 7387 4771
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