RMT declares strike dates on Heathrow Express and Connect

RMT declares strike dates on Heathrow Express and Connect

19 May 2014

RMT Press Office

RAIL UNION RMT today confirmed a further wave of strike action across Heathrow Express this weekend in response to a package of multi-million pound cuts which amount to an all-out assault on pay, jobs and safety and a continued failure by the company to address a series of safety-critical issues raised by the union.

RMT declares further strike dates on Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect over the key bank-holiday weekend

 

RAIL UNION RMT today confirmed a further wave of strike action across Heathrow Express this weekend in response to a package of multi-million pound cuts which amount to an all-out assault on pay, jobs and safety and a continued failure by the company to address a series of safety-critical issues raised by the union.

 

Following a massive nine to one vote for action covering all grades, and a rock solid 48 hours of strike action last month, RMT has instructed Heathrow Express members not to book on for any shifts between:

 

  • 03.00 hours on Friday 23rd May 2014 until 02.59 hours on Saturday 24th May 2014
  • 03.00 hours on Monday 26th May 2014 until 02.59 hours on Tuesday 27th May 2014

 

Furthermore, all Heathrow Express members have been instructed to take industrial action short of a strike as outlined below:-

 

  • Not to work any rest days or overtime from 03.00 hours Saturday 24th May 2014 until 02.59 hours on Monday 26th May 2014

 

The action, over the spring bank-holiday period, will lead to major disruption to services on one of Heathrow’s busiest weekends.

 

RMT members are furious that Heathrow Express plans to re-organise its workforce indicating that, in an attempt to save £6 million over the next five years, some 201 jobs are now placed under threat of redundancy, representing around half of the current workforce.The attack on jobs and working conditions comes as a direct result of the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to cut £600 million from the Heathrow Airport budget over the same period.

 

The union has warned that the cuts would leave the vital Heathrow services vulnerable to terrorist attack with the eyes and ears of the operation, the staff on the trains, thrown onto the scrapheap to protect company profits.

 

RMT has demolished the case for each of the main areas of proposed cuts proposed on Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services:

 

Cut ONE - Removal of on-board staff on Heathrow Connect service:

 

  • Passengers will suffer increased anti-social behaviour due to no staff presence.
  • An increased threat of terrorist attack – both HEx & Heathrow Connect are high-profile and high-risk targets.
  • Serious safety concerns over drivers single-handedly having to evacuate the train without assistance.
  • Increased delays for passengers, as drivers will be tasked to deal with passenger alarms and emergencies on their own.
  • Disabled and mobility impaired passengers will have no assistance on board.
  • The reputation amongst passengers of Heathrow Connect as being a “safe” service due to on-board staff will be destroyed.
  • Drivers will have no help in emergency situations like fatalities, injuries or passengers being assaulted.

 

Cut TWO - Removal of evacuation competency of Heathrow Express on-board staff:

 

  • This would mean that a HEx train could be run without any on-board staff at all, because the requirement has been rescinded by the cuts plan . HEx passengers pay a premium price for a premium service and expect to get this 100% of the time, not some of the time. These changes are further ripping off the customer in terms of safety and customer service.
  • Drivers are deeply concerned over the prospect of having to evacuate a fully loaded 9 car train without any assistance at all. Drivers see this as blatant disregard for passenger and staff safety.
  • The train driver cannot physically get to the trailing unit in an emergency due the absence of gang-way doors. With no on-board staff with evacuation competency, the passengers are being asked to fend for themselves.

 

Cut THREE - Extension of Driver Only Operation (DOO):

 

  • Staff do not see this as being as safe as the current assisted dispatch methods. Drivers have made it clear that passenger safety will be put at risk.

 

RMT has rubbished claims by the company that they ran anything other than a limited, shuttle service for PR purposes on Heathrow Express during the last strike action with Heathrow Connect closed down entirely.

 

RMT Acting General Secretary Mick Cash said:

 

“Despite the bogus claims from the company and the media hype the fact is that the last wave of strike action was solidly supported by the staff and the HEX service was reduced down to a skeleton operated by scab managers, with limited training, while Heathrow Connect was closed entirely. Instead of cooking up phoney passenger numbers and ghost-train timetables the management should be round the table addressing the fundamental issues of jobs, pay and safety at the heart of this dispute.

 

“The Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services are dealing with growing demand as the airport expands and the idea that safety and service is going to be sacrificed at the stroke of an accountant’s pen would shame London and leave these high-profile services extremely vulnerable.  The CAA themselves have warned that the staffing cuts are a false economy which will hit revenues as service quality drops through the floor.

 

“The removal of on board staff, and the driving forwards of Driver Only Operation, would render services inherently unsafe and make evacuation in the wake of an emergency incident or terrorist alert an absolute nightmare.

 

“The planned axing of jobs, and the associated freezing and hacking back of pay and working conditions, is a kick in the teeth for the staff who have made Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect the success story that they are today. The staff have stood up and been counted and it is down to company to halt the cuts plans and start talking seriously about a safe and secure future for this vital London transport link.”

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Tagged with: Heathrow Express, Strike Action