RMT Union

Union leaders call on Mayor to bring Elizabeth Line and London Overground into public ownership. In a joint letter to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the leaders of two major transport unions, RMT and ASLEF, have urged him to take immediate steps to bring the Elizabeth Line and London Overground into public ownership. The letter comes in the wake of the newly elected Labour government's clear stance on the need to overhaul the UK’s railways, ending decades of privatisation. RMT Mick Lynch, General Secretary, and Mick Whelan, General Secretary of ASLEF, highlighted the inefficiencies and costs associated with the current privatisation model, noting that it has led to fragmented and expensive services for passengers. "Privatisation has been a costly inefficient failure," they wrote, emphasising that the government's forthcoming legislation makes public ownership the default option for the rest of the country’s railways. Citing the government's impact assessment, the union leaders stressed the financial and service-related benefits of public ownership: “There will be significant savings to government... public ownership represents an opportunity to improve [passenger rail service] by removing the commercially driven focus on individual operators' profit,” the letter reads. The unions argue that by taking the Elizabeth Line and London Overground into public hands, Londoners would see more of their fare revenue reinvested into the network. They pointed out that private operators like MTR and Arriva Rail London, who currently manage these services, have paid out millions in dividends – money they say could have been used to reduce fares. "MTR paid out a dividend of £7.6 million, equivalent to a 2.4% cut in Elizabeth Line fares," they noted, while "Arriva Rail London paid a dividend of £9.6 million, equivalent to a 4.4% cut in Overground fares." The letter also argues that public ownership would support Mayor Khan's long-standing goal of greater devolved control over London’s rail services, allowing for better integration and coordination across the capital. "London would not only share the same policy direction as the national government, but public ownership would make it significantly easier to create the kind of governance structures that would enable greater devolution to London," the leaders wrote. With contracts for both the Elizabeth Line and London Overground nearing their end, Mr Lynch and Mr Whelan see a unique opportunity for the Mayor to act decisively. "The time to do this is now," they urged, calling on Khan to "seize this moment" and commit to public ownership, thereby aligning London’s railways with the national movement towards a publicly owned railway system.

No trade union can accept any pay proposal where management decide who gets a pay rise and who does not. Today, RMT Regional Organiser, Jared Wood spoke to LBC about the issues over London Underground's current pay offer. Watch the full interview: https://bit.ly/4hkTHmG

"An absurd approach to negotiation." RMT Regional Organiser, Jared Wood talks to LBC's Nick Ferrari about the issues behind the dispute that threatens to bring strike action to London Underground in November. Watch the full interview: https://ow.ly/wBM350TNvnj

RMT responds to government energy announcement Offshore workers union, RMT today responded to the Energy Security and Net Zero department promising action on jobs, investment and clean energy. An RMT spokesperson said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to billions of pounds of investment into the UK energy industry, environmental commitments and the roll out of a new skills passport. “The government is listening to trade unions which is in marked contrast to the previous Conservative government. “We do need more detail on how the skills passport will take shape, especially on how it aligns with safety certification and guarantees on the involvement of trade unions in the energy and offshore sector throughout the delivery process. “The government also needs to introduce measures to protect our energy sector members from turbulence on the international energy markets.”

London Underground workers to strike over pay offer RMT members on London Underground will take strike action after rejecting a pay offer deemed wholly inadequate. While some progress was made in negotiations, the current proposal leaves a large number of staff excluded from collective bargaining, which remains a core issue for the union. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “London Underground’s pay offer falls short of what our members deserve. It threatens to remove collective bargaining for a growing portion of staff, pushing them into pay bands that are decided solely by management. This undermines our members’ rights and the core principles of fair negotiation. "No trade union can accept any pay proposal where management decide which of our members gets a pay rise and those who do not. “We have repeatedly urged London Underground to offer a deal that ensures all staff are covered by collective bargaining, yet management remains fixated on imposing pay structures without our agreement. "Our members have been left with no choice but to take strike action to defend their terms and conditions. “We remain open to negotiations, but London Underground must come back to the table with a comprehensive, consolidated offer that respects the rights of all our members. Until then, our industrial action will continue as planned.” Strike Dates and Details: • 1st – 2nd November 2024: Engineering Vehicles Operations and Maintenance staff will strike from 18:00 on 1st November to 17:59 on 2nd November, with no overtime until 8th November. • 3rd – 4th November 2024: Track Access Controllers, Control Centre, and Power/Control staff will strike from 18:59 on 3rd November to 18:59 on 4th November. • 4th November 2024: Emergency Response Unit (ERU) staff will strike from 00:01 to 23:59. • 5th November 2024: Fleet, Engineering, Stations, and Trains staff (except ERU and Engineering Vehicles Operations and Maintenance) will strike from 00:01 to 23:59. • 6th – 8th November 2024: Signallers and Service Controllers will strike from 00:01 to 23:59 on 6th November, with further strikes on 7th and 8th November. RMT remains ready to engage in talks but insists that a fair and fully consolidated pay offer must be put forward.

All aboard the rolling-stock gravy train 🚂 📰 Train owner's £150m dividend while ticket prices rise for passengers https://lnkd.in/e9Jk2UMD

✍️ Please sign our petition to restore ticket office hours and Oyster facilities at London Overground ticket offices https://bit.ly/3BLuEsE

Pay Justice For RFA Seafarers RMT Royal Fleet Auxiliary members in Liverpool today fighting for pay justice #FairPay4RFA

Fair Pay For RFA RMT Royal Fleet Auxiliary members at Liverpool Pier Head as they take strike action for pay justice #FairPay4RFA

🕯️ RMT remembers Today marks 25 years since the fatal collision between two passenger trains at Ladbroke Grove in west London, when thirty-one people died and over 400 were injured. 📸 Photo © Phillip Perry