ROSTERING ISSUES, CATERING GRADES – AVANTI WEST COAST

Our Ref: BR2/8/2

 

23 July 2024

 

 

Dear RMT Member

 

ROSTERING ISSUES, CATERING GRADES – AVANTI WEST COAST

 

Further to my previous correspondence in which I notified you of industrial action taking place on 26^th & 27^th July, a meeting has been held between your RMT Company Council Representatives and Avanti West Coast management to search for a resolution to this dispute. 

 

During the discussions, your reps and RMT officials presented a number of points which we believed would at least go some way to addressing the concerns of you and your colleagues, issues which forced your union to enter dispute and saw RMT members deliver a magnificent mandate for industrial action.

 

Avanti West Coast has now responded to these points and I outline below each point in turn and the company’s response.

 

“Resolution Proposal and Management Response 

 

1. 1.    RMT propose: When an STP is created that has no change to the original book on/off LTP times the booked Caterer retains the diagram. 

 

In principle, AWC Management supports this approach to retaining book on/off times although content may change. 

 

1. 2.    RMT propose: Assurance that no caterer is marked to unagreed overtime on the DAS sheets. 

 

In principle AWC Management supports this approach providing no impact on current terms and conditions and excluding when mutual agreement is reached i.e., when a Caterer agrees to work overtime or an alternative shift length. 

 

1. 3.    RMT propose: 2-hour movement only applies to book/on and not the book/off. 

 

Management have concerns that this would generate significant catering service failures which should be a mutual objective to avoid. 

AWC further propose an immediate exercise within 2-weeks to be carried out to ascertain clearly the impact of adopting this approach and sharing with Representatives. 

 

1. 4.    RMT propose: Removal of the 2016 HHD/LIV local agreement.

 

AWC Management understand the benefits of moving away from these local agreements although we have concerns that this could have unintended consequences that we would wish to share with the Council i.e., could significantly impact catering coverage and AWC ability to provide a catering proposition onboard at these depots if this were removed immediately. 

 

AWC propose an immediate desk top exercise within 2-weeks is carried out with the involvement of the Local representative and the existing Management working group looks at whether an alternative and viable approach exists that could enable either the removal or improvement to this local arrangement that balances covering catering turns whilst reducing any impact on caterers. 

 

To summarise, subject to RMT suspending strike action immediately, we support taking the approach requested by RMT for items 1, 2, as per above. For unresolved items 3 and 4, although we cannot immediately agree, because of the risk to covering catering turns and risk of generating more catering service failures with the associated customer impact. We want to reassure RMT that we want to work with the Catering representatives to find a mutual resolution for the unresolved items which ensures we continue to offer our catering proposition on all trains. 

 

We propose we reconvene quickly to explore how this could be achieved and further propose that Catering Council support a test and learn exercise on a pending blockade 17/18 of August or a future period of engineering work. 

 

Its further acknowledged there were also other concerns raised by representatives which we wish to resolve. These concerns included how caterers are treated, and their terms and conditions applied by resource functions.”

 

Your union’s National Executive Committee has considered the correspondence from the company and, to give all members the opportunity to discuss the proposals and on seeking a way forward on this matter, you are invited to join an online Zoom meeting tomorrow (Wednesday 24^th July 2024). The meeting will be an opportunity to discuss the issues and hear from your RMT Assistant General Secretary John Leach, Company Council Reps and Regional Organiser, all of whom will provide an update on the negotiations.

 

The meeting details are:

 

Topic: AWC Catering Grades Meeting

Time: Jul 24, 2024 15:00  London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88070862614

Meeting ID: 880 7086 2614

 

Please join the meeting.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Michael Lynch

General Secretary