November 2011

What future for rail?The McNulty Report and the fightback

2 November 2011

in this issue

Transport Salaried Staffs’Association

General secretary: Gerry Doherty

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Vol 108/issue 1219

4–5 Organising! u General Secretary election

u Amey: from redundancies to recognition

u Tube Lines campaign

6 General Secretaryu A last goodbye

7 TUC Congressu Transport to the fore

8–9 TSSA’s futureu Your questions answered on our future

10–11 Labour Conference u Our delegates report back

TSSA, along with the Campaign for Better Transport, RMT, Climate Rush and Bring Back British Railorganised a demonstration outside Waterloo on the day it was announced rail fares would be going upby an average of 8 per cent from this January.

10-11 Labour Conference

TSSA Journal 3

editorial

Welcome to theNovember issue ofthe TSSA Journal.Since taking over asEditor in mid-September it’s beengreat to hear of thehigh level of activityright across the membership and to startmeeting some of you – something I hopeto get the opportunity to do much moreof over the coming months.

Thanks to Frank Ward for his work inediting the last issue and to PaulineSturges for all she did to develop thepublication over many years. It is a greatposition from which to build on. Please doget in touch with your views or ideas onany aspect of our communications, writtenor online, as I’ll also be leading the furtherdevelopment of our website. News anditems for publication are always verywelcome – please do make contact, even ifyou’re not in a position to write somethingyourself.

As you’ll see in the following pages,significant changes are coming both toTSSA and the rail industry. After GerryDoherty’s decision to take earlyretirement, a new TSSA General Secretarywill be chosen by the end of the year (seepage 4). Together with a wider negotiatingteam, he or she will be making decisionsover the shape of any partnerships wemight form with the RMT or other unions– a full report is on pages 8 and 9, withfrequent updates on the website.

On the other side of the fence, it’s allchange at the Department for Transportwith Justine Greening taking over asSecretary of State. With the DfT expectedto respond to the atrocious McNultyReport very shortly, it remains to be seenwhether the new minister will pull backfrom the devastating programme of cut-backs and closures proposed. For more onthe report and the fight-back against it,see our special feature on pages 12 and 13.

Whatever the future holds, the need tokeep organising, keep recruiting and keepbuilding the strongest voice for membersremains. Enjoy the Journal – and getinvolved in the fight for a better future.

Ben Soffa, editor

12 Challenge McNultyu Where the axe falls

u Save our ticket offices

14 Equalitiesu Dyslexia support

u E-Mix news

15 Helpdesku This month’s queries

16Morrish Solicitorsu Latest legal victories

17–19 Electionsu London Transport EC seat and Treasurer

20 All views welcomeu All views welcome

ShadowTransportSecretaryMaria EagleMP talks toGerryDoherty onthe FairFaresprotest.

8-9 TSSA’s future

4 November 2011

organising

TSSA’S GENERAL SECRETARY Gerry Doherty hasannounced his decision to take early retirement(see page 6) with a replacement to be elected bymembers before the end of the year. Gerry, whohas led the Union since 2004, first joined TSSA in1972 and, other than an eighteen months spellworking outside the railway industry, has been amember ever since. He served as a staff rep,branch officer, divisional council officer,secretary of a Political Advisory Committee andExecutive Committee member during his timeas a lay member and celebrated 20 years as a fulltime official during October.

Tributes to Gerry’s work, both for the TSSAand more widely as a member of the TUCGeneral Council and Executive have been paidby many members, with the officers of sisterunions offering much praise for his

achievements. A full feature looking back atGerry’s time with the union will be included inthe next issue of the TSSA Journal.

Nominations are now being accepted forthose seeking to become the Association’stwentieth General Secretary. All Branches areable to make a nomination, with full details ofthe process having been sent to all BranchSecretaries. If multiple candidates aresuccessfully nominated, voting will take placeover four weeks from 21 November. 7

RE-ORGANISATION ANDREDUNDANCIES last yearsowed the seeds for aremarkable fight back byTSSA members at Amey Rail.One year on and we are onthe verge of signing a newrecognition agreement thatwill mean over 500 workersregaining the right tonegotiate their terms andconditions via the Union.

“The key to our successwas bringing together repsfrom across Amey, identifyingour weaknesses anddeveloping a plan to build ourstrength”, says SeniorRegional Organiser, AlanValentine. “Without the hardwork of our Reps, nothingwould have changed.”

The first steps wereproviding bespoke training forreps in how to organise ourmembers to resist Amey’scuts. The TSSA’s Learning andOrganising teams were able tosupport Reps to build genuinepower in the workplace.

“We needed to improvecommunications betweenthe reps and with members”,says Rep Colin Savage. “Weused online surveys to askour members and other staffwhat they wanted TSSA toachieve, then reported backon progress through regularemails, text messaging andstarted to issue anewsletter.”

When Amey stalled on paytalks, then imposed a lowerrise on those who were not incollective bargaining, theanger was palpable. Peoplewere asking, “What is TSSAdoing about it?”

As negotiations brokedown, Amey made it clearthat they did not believe wehad the support for a fightback. They were wrong. TSSAmembers voted for and tookindustrial action to achieve adecent pay rise and collectivebargaining for all – creating alevel playing field.

After weeks of action and

ACAS negotiations, Ameymembers have achievedwhat no-one but theythought was possible. TheCompany increased their payoffer, settled long-standingissues and agreed amechanism to widen outcollective bargaining,including union access toworkers and a neutralityclause.

Our membership at Ameyis growing every day.Confidence is increasingamongst staff and we nowhave several new repsincluding the first ever UnionLearning Rep at Amey.

“It just goes to show thatit is still possible to makeprogress, even in this age ofcuts. It’s all about bringingpeople together to gain avoice”, says Senior OrgansierLuke Chester. “When I thinkwhere we were only 12months ago, it is credit to allour reps and members to seehow far we have come.”7

From redundancies to recognition –TSSA stand up for Amey Rail staff

New General Secretary to be elected

European Health and Safety WeekTSSA SAYS...

“Everyone has the right towork in a safe environmentthat does not jeopardise theirpersonal health and safety nowor in the future!”

Know your rights and getinvolved in the EuropeanHealth and Safety Week 25-29October 2011!

See www.tssa.org.uk

Railway EmployeesPrivilege TicketAssociation2011 REPTA membership isavailable now for all transportindustry staff and families,active and retired. Many free,discounted and special ratesare available to members asdescribed in our informationpacked Yearbook.£3.75 per year including p&p.Additional cards for familymembers £2.50. Sendcheques/postal orders payableto ‘REPTA’ to: Colin Rolle, 4Brackmills Close, ForestTown, Mansfield, NG19 0PBor join on line. See:www.repta.co.uk

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Timetable for election:Closing date for nominations: 14 November 2011Issue of ballot papers: 21 November 2011Closing date for receipt of voting papers: 19 December 2011

TSSA Journal 5

organising

TUBE LINES STAFF onperformance related pay donot have the right tocollectively negotiate theirpay. We plan to change that.

Over the last three yearsthere have been no pay talksfor Tube Lines staff on PRP,with the vast majority havingreceived no pay rise. Bycontrast, staff performingsimilar roles at Transport forLondon – which wholly ownsTube Lines – have union-negotiated pay. They havereceived pay increase for eachof the last three years, with anabove inflation rise of 6% thisyear.

TSSA reps and activists atTube Lines began campaigningin 2010 to gain pay negotiatingrights for all staff. When TubeLines management refused toeven talk to the unions, TSSAmembers on PRP votedoverwhelmingly to supportindustrial action. The first everstrike by staff at Tube Linestook place in September 2010and was well supported bymembers.

Despite this, Tube Lines

management were still notwilling to talk aboutrecognition, so TSSA decidedto get the law on side. There isa statutory process that allowstrade unions to apply to theCentral Arbitration Committee(CAC) for recognition rights tonegotiate on behalf of all staff.To do this a union must showthat a majority of the staffaffected – whether unionmembers or not – want themto be recognised to negotiatetheir pay; and that’s whatwe’ve done.

In July 2011 TSSA launchedan on-line petition (the firsttime this has ever been used inthe legal recognition process)so that PRP staff could sign upelectronically to support unionrecognition. The response wasoverwhelming, with over 100signatures in the first week.

The TSSA recognitionorganising team, made up ofactivists and reps, organisedworkplace meetings andleafleted key locations to talkto staff, explain the statutoryprocess and tell them aboutthe campaign. Since then,

hundreds of Tube Lines staffhave signed our petition orPledge Cards.

In September we had ourfirst concrete evidence thatTube Lines were at laststarting to listen. For the firsttime in three years thecompany has awarded staff onPRP contracts a pay rise. TSSAreps were told by a seniormanager that our campaignfor recognition was “massivelyhelpful” in enabling them tosecure funds for PRP paymentsthis year.

Although pay awards forstaff on PRP still lag behindtheir Tube Lines colleagues onunion negotiated pay, therecent dramatic change inattitude demonstrates what adifference organising togethercan make.

The next stage is to submitthe statutory application forrecognition. To do this we willbe working with the RMT on ajoint application, as togetherwe have the support of aroundthree quarters of all unionmembers and other staff onPRP contracts in Tube Lines.

But before that we’ll be goingback to Tube Lines and askingthem to talk. We hope that theclear message from themajority of staff on PRPcontracts will bring Tube Linesto the negotiating table.

Winning collective paybargaining rights at Tube Lineswill be a major victory. Yet it isalso only the beginning of alonger campaign, winningthose who’ve signed thepetition over to the benefits ofunion membership andhopefully, to activeinvolvement. 7

To sign up to the TubeLines petition see www.tssa.org.uk/tubelinespetitionTo find out more or to getinvolved contact Mel Taylor,taylorm@tssa.org.uk, 0773819 5127

RICHARD RAMSAY, WHO served as a TSSA employee for 27years, latterly as Negotiations Officer, has published a fact-rich book: “A Guide to Post-War Scottish By-Elections tothe UK Parliament”. The bookincludes a foreword by GerryDoherty and gives data on allsuch elections up to thepresent day.

Priced at £9.99 you canfind it on Amazon via http://tinyurl.com/s-by-elections

TSSA negotiator’s new book

i

Campaign will win at Tube Lines:with their consent or not

Union conference on PalestineTHE PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN, to which TSSA areaffiliated, will hold a conference, ‘Don’t buy into the IsraeliOccupation’ from 10am on Saturday 29 October at TUC CongressHouse.

The conference will discuss how trade unionists can supportPalestinian workers in their struggle and will include bothpractical workshops and keynote speeches: from the PalestinianGeneral Federation of Trade Unions, the Palestinian Ambassadorand leading campaigners from many British unions.

Register on-line atwww.palestinecampaign.org//psc_conf or call 020 7700 6192

ii

6 November 2011

general secretary

This will be my last Journal article asGeneral Secretary. I have taken theunusual step of including a copy of anextract from my notice letter to thePresident with the Journal mailing,indicating my intention to avail ofearly retirement. This is because Ibelieve that members deserve to knowthe reasons why their GeneralSecretary has decided to go sosuddenly at such a difficult time forthe Association.To be honest my relations with the

Executive Committee have not reallyrecovered from the events of annualconference in 2009. Despite anundertaking and a resolve on everyone’spart after those events to effect necessarychanges to protect the Association’sfuture as an independent organisation,as I say in my letter, not one thing haschanged, nor do I expect anything tochange under the present regime.However, again as I say in my letter,

the straw that really broke the camel’sback occurred at an ExecutiveCommittee meeting on Thursday 11August which was the first meetingpresided over by the incoming Presidentsince her election. She had had an operation and was

unable to attend both the June and Julymeetings through illness. It was noted,however, that she was fit enough toattend a Labour Party NationalExecutive Committee meeting duringthis period. At that EC meeting on 11 August

there was a discussion about whom theAssociation should support for electionto the General Council of the TradesUnion Congress. I proposed that theAssociation should support a list of theGeneral Secretaries of a number of otherunions who had agreed to support theAssociation’s own nomination in return,ie myself.This had been the process that had

been applied in all my previous years asGeneral Secretary and had resulted innot only my election to the GeneralCouncil, but in recent years actuallytopping the poll and being appointed tothe Executive Committee of the TUC.An amendment was proposed to my

recommendation that removed one ofmy nominees and replaced him withanother. I explained in very clear termsthat to support the amendment wouldresult in the support that I had accruedfor the Association’s candidate, myself,being withdrawn and that it would bevery much against the Association’sinterest to lose our influential positionwithin the TUC, which would be theresult of carrying the amendment.In the event when the matter was put

to the vote only three of the eleven ECmembers present supported the veryclear recommendation that I had givento the EC to protect the interests of theAssociation. The President was not oneof those three. In the circumstances, andknowing that the support from otherunions that I had patiently built up overthe years would not now beforthcoming and I would therefore notbe elected, I felt I had no option but towithdraw from the contest.The upshot was that the individual

that the EC decided not to support waselected anyway and the individual thatthe EC decided to support, against myrecommendation, was also elected –which would have been the case evenwithout our support – so our alteredposition changed nothing.Nothing, that is, except that the

Association lost its seat on the GeneralCouncil to be replaced by the ASLEFcandidate and lost its seat on theExecutive Committee of the TUC. Threeyears ago the Association was the onlyrail union represented on the GeneralCouncil, now we are the only onewithout representation and there is no

Members deserve

to know the

reasons why their

General Secretary

has decided to go

so suddenly at such

a difficult time for

the Association.

GERRYDOHERTY

A last goodbyecommen

t

TSSA Journal 7

TUC Congress

PRESIDENT HARRIET YEO, GeneralSecretary Gerry Doherty and Irepresented TSSA at this year’s TUCCongress. 281 delegates from affiliatedorganisations were present to debatemajor issues for the movement. Thiswas my first Congress and I enjoyed itenormously, feeling a real part of theordinary people’s Parliament.

This was the first year of a smallerCongress (which will alternate with thelarger conventional event), and while Iwas absorbed by the procedures anddebates, I was aware of doubts othersheld about these changes. This year’sCongress was ‘streamed’ live via theTUC website but was poorer for lack ofcoverage on the BBC Parliamentchannel.

The usual range of motions weredebated; TSSA spoke on pensions,multiculturalism, economic fairnessand the evil McNulty Report.Emergency and main motions alsoreflected major transport issues,notably Bombardier, whilst we alsomet a delegation of workers fromDerby. Our delegation worked wellwith ASLEF and RMT colleagues, andwe spent one enjoyable evening withRMT. Other emergency motionsincluded concerns over the recent EDLfiasco in East London and on women’sreproductive choice.

We were addressed on Tuesday bythe Labour leader, Ed Milliband – theseoccasions are always sharply-focused,not helped by the press & TV doingtheir jobs - and often obscuring thespeaker from his audience! Delegatesreflected the wide range of opinionspresent and showed this on a coupleof occasions.

The biggest debate was on the lastday, about Pensions and the unfairhammering ordinary people are taking– as I said in my speech – “if you wantto know what this is really about, it’stelling an 87 year old widow that thepromises made about her late

husband’s pension were lies.” We knowusing the CPI inflation measure isunreasonable and has been imposedunfairly, we know many employers canafford their pension schemes but don’twant to hurt profits, we know someschemes are artificially in deficit, andwe know pensioners have to pay risingbills but have no means to earn extramoney when the spending power oftheir pensions is decimated. But weare telling those who won’t listen and‘days of action’ seem inevitable.

Congress unanimously supportedus on the transport issues raised,especially Bombardier – it is clear thisill-informed government doesn’tunderstand industry and supply chains.It doesn’t want to. The Bombardierfringe meeting was standing roomonly; ourselves, RMT and UNITE led thedebate, with comprehensive rebuttalsand technical answers to the bland andinaccurate rhetoric of those makingdisastrous decisions about our jobs.

On the last day, Gerry was awardedthe TUC Gold Badge for his work onthe General Council.

We face political doubts towardtrades unions but this week showedwe are a determined body of men andwomen, young and old, of all cultures.The delegates were a superb mix ofages, industries and regions – almostevery UK accent was heard, speakingfor their members everywhere. I amdelighted to have been elected for thisopportunity to speak for my Union. 7

Joel Kosminsky, London SouthWestern & Middlesex Branch Chair

railway union representation on theExecutive Committee of the TUC.Having reflected on these events over

the weekend after that EC meeting andrealising how little support I couldcommand from the EC on such animportant matter in the affairs of theAssociation, I considered that, in thebest interests of the union, the onlyhonourable thing to do was to depart.Others, in my view, should alsoconsider their position but I don’texpect them to do so.As I say in my letter to the President,

“the Association faces many verydifficult issues in the coming weeks,months and years: our talks with theRMT, the results of the pensionsevaluations in the RPS and theconsequences of the McNulty Report toname but a few. It will need a unitedleadership of the Association workingtowards the common goal of protectingthe interests of the members tosuccessfully address these and otherwider issues that confront us”.Perhaps the most important of these

issues is our talks with the RMT over anew future. I know that there areconcerns amongst our membership overthe outcome of these talks. I have madeclear my very firm support for a positiveoutcome, but that does not mean that Idiscount the very difficult hurdles thatwill need to be cleared if ourdiscussions are to bear fruit. I have no doubt that the new General

Secretary, whoever he or she is, will doas I would have done and recommendacceptance of whatever the outcome ofour deliberations are if it is in theinterests of members to do so, andrecommend rejection if it is not.It only remains for me to thank you

all for the great honour and privilege ofserving and leading you over the yearsand to wish all of you and your lovedones the very best for the future.7

Transport to the fore at ‘theordinary people’s Parliament’

Jess Hurd –repo

rtdigital.co.uk

8 November 2011

TSSA’s future

We answer some of the frequently asked questions about the future of our union.

Merger?Strategic partnership?A new transport & travel unionA vote of the Annual DelegateConference agreed that TSSA shouldexplore various options for workingmore closely with other transportunions. Options range from sharingresources such as premises and back-office staff, through to the creation of anew union which would be stronger,both industrially and financially. Of theunions approached, the RMT respondedpositively to the offer of talks.Negotiation teams are now meetingregularly to explore the possibility offorming a brand new union as apartnership between TSSA and the RMT.

Why is this happening?The industries we organise in have seenheadcount declining for many years. Weall know the reasons – from profit seeking‘efficiencies’, to technological change. Therailways and the travel trade are shrinking– and with that our potentialmembership. We are now a union of26,000 members compared to 70,000thirty years ago. Despite all the success

we’ve had since transitioning towards anorganising culture and the new membersthis has brought, none of this can protectus from the financial realities of thisgeneral trend. The impact of the cutsproposed in the McNulty Report, coupledwith mergers in the travel trade are onlylikely to worsen this trend.

Why now?TSSA is at no immediate financial risk,with significant assets built up by pastgenerations of members. These are not allreadily convertible to cover running costsnor would it be sensible to dispose ofthem in the current recession, but ifnecessary we could realise these over anumber of years to pay our way.

That said, the global financial crisis hasseverely cut the income we receive fromproperty and investments – incomewhich previously brought in theequivalent of many thousands ofmembers’ subs each year.

Rather than burn through our reservesand be forced to take rushed decisions in

several years time, negotiating now froma position of financial strength will ensurethese assets can once again benefitmembers as the economy recovers.

On current costs, we would need torecruit an extra 13,000 members tosecure our viability in the long-term.Adding one extra member for every twowe currently have is clearly not an optionin the current climate and therefore weneed to look to other options.

What might this process result in?We don’t know yet. Quite possiblynothing at all – in which case other

Membership 1970 to 2010

TSSA Journal 9

TSSA’s future

options would have to be explored.Discussions with the RMT are still at anearly stage and we remain open to talkingto other similarly sized transport andtravel unions.

If we were to reach an agreement withthe RMT this would be for the creation ofan entirely new union – not a take-overone way or the other, or a simpleamalgam of our structures. We would belooking to build a modern transport andtravel union with an internal arrangementthat reflects the needs of the workers oftoday – not simply recreating thepatterns established when both societyand our industries were very different.

Who will decide on any deal?Ultimately, a new union will only comeabout if it is agreed by a majority of TSSAmembers voting in a one-member one-vote referendum. Before any deal is put toa vote it will have had to satisfy thenegotiating team, the ExecutiveCommittee and Conference.

Whilst the need for change is certain, itis far from inevitable that this will takethe form of a new union with the RMT aspartners. If the deal is not right for TSSAmembers, it will not be made.

If no deal was made with the RMT, wewould then need to talk to other unionsoutside our industries with a view tosharing resources or merging.

How will members have their say in theprocess?As well as having the final say in anyreferendum, members can help guide theprocess as it develops. Dozens ofmembers have already passed on theirviews to the Negotiating Team. Eachmessage is taken seriously and will informthe positions taken by our team. You canfeed in your thoughts via

strategicpartnerships@tssa.org.uk or bywriting to ‘Strategic Partnershipsnegotiating team’ at Walkden House.

Any member is entitled to stand tobecome a delegate to the AnnualDelegate Conference in spring, wherethe issue will doubtless be debatedextensively.

Strengthening our voice – whatever thefuture holdsWhatever the outcome of negotiations,the need for us to keep organising, keeprecruiting and keep building the strongestpossible voice for transport and travelworkers remains. It is far from certain thatany deal will be reached, let alone agreedby members and even if it were,transitional arrangements may last forsome time. With the Government’sresponse to the McNulty Report loomingand firms keen to pass on the impact ofthe recession by attacking pay andconditions, your union will be organisingin defence of members just as strongly aswe ever have. 7

Regular updates on the progress oftalks are being posted in the news sectionof tssa.org.uk

Quick Queries Management GradesThe need for distinct decision-makingstructures for managers, supervisors andother groups of members is clear. Thesewill be retained, and strengthenedwhere necessary. Both negotiatingteams accept that any new union mustbe able to effectively represent thedifferent needs of workers whereverthey are in a company hierarchy andmay need specific structures to protecttheir interests and democratic rights inthe new union.

Political affiliationIt has been the consistent view of ourunion that we are stronger for our linksto both the British and Irish LabourParties. For a new union to come about,these links would need to remain.

Travel TradeRMT do not operate in the travel trade,therefore arrangements would remainmuch the same as at present.

IrelandThe very few RMT members based in theRepublic of Ireland predominantly workon ferries, therefore a new union wouldorganise our current members in muchthe same way.

Unity is strength – the case for a new union A NEW UNION, combining the organising strengths and memberships of both TSSA and the RMT would present a single unifiedface to government and employers. Our strength in numbers – over 110,000 – would multiply our bargaining power greatly andour new unity would prevent employers pursuing a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy.

With a new union, our campaigning impact on issues like defending our pensions, opposing the McNulty recommendationsor the TfL/London Underground ‘Project Horizon’ job cuts would be greater, with no duplication of resources or competition formedia coverage between unions.

To protect the rights of members – not just in the short term, but for decades to come – we need to take decisions now toensure we have a fit, fighting union that can be relied upon to be there for members whenever they need it. 7

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10 November 2011

Labour conference

Labouring in Liverpool

Jill Murdoch reports from TSSA’s delegation to Labour Party Conference

While delegates sweated in the winterwoollies they had packed, Liverpool puton a splendid show in the glorioussunshine of an Indian summer. It wasalmost a travesty to spend our days inthe dark hall where Labour Partyconference took place. Sadly, little inthe conference was able to match thesplendour of what we were missingoutside.

Despite Ed Miliband’s promises of amore open and democratic party, theconference resembled a rally rather than apolicy making conference. There was thesame parade of smart young confidentpeople with speeches written by theLabour Party office and supportive of theleadership. However, one of the strengthsof the Party is the number of youngpeople who were present and who areclearly now very active in the Party at alllevels. Many of them have joined since Edbecame leader, which is encouraging.

It is gratifying that the open splitbetween union and constituencydelegates that used to characterize Partyconferences has largely gone. Certainlythis year the main concern for alldelegates was the fierce attack onworking people, the unemployed, the

elderly, the disabled, students and thepublic sector in general from thisintensely class- and ideologically-drivengovernment.

This is precisely the moment whenthe Labour Party should be standing upfor all those groups. It was, therefore,deeply disappointing when Ed praisedThatcher’s anti-trade union legislation,her council house sell-off andgenerously offered to cap university

fees at £6000 per year. Surely now is thetime to provide real leadership to boththe Party and its natural constituents byinstead articulating a clear socialistalternative.

Gerry Doherty made his final speech toconference as TSSA General Secretaryspeaking to a catch-all composite motionon public services, cuts and the railway.Perhaps the brightest and most optimisticaspect of this conference was the feeling

Public ownership of the railways is creeping up the agenda

of the Party leadership

TSSA President Harriet Yeo addresses conference

General SecretaryGerry Doherty ischeered as he callsfor renationalisation

Sharon Simmonds

Labour conference

that public ownership of the railways iscreeping up the agenda of the Partyleadership. It has been Party policy since2004 when TSSA moved it successfully atthat year’s conference but at long last it isbeing looked at seriously. The ShadowTransport Minister, Maria Eagle, whoaddressed TSSA conference so well inMay, was openly critical of the structuresand costs of the privatized railway. Sheeven shared the platform with TSSA, RMT,ASLEF and Unite at the unions’ fringemeeting on the subject – a meeting thatwas packed to the rafters.

Despite gaffes like the reference toTony Blair by Miliband that led to a fewboos (greatly exaggerated in the media!) Iexpect the leadership will think this was asuccessful conference. For me itdisappointed because it failed to inspireat a time when we are all under suchattack from the government. However,for the TSSA delegation, this was ahistoric year. First, we saw our flagshippolicy of renationalisation receiving muchhigher billing, and second, all of ourelected delegates were women; indeed itwas almost certainly a historic first forthe Party conference to have an all-women trade union delegation. 7

Extract from Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle’s speechWe need greater responsibility from the train operating companies too. So when railfranchises come up, here’s what the government should do:

Not reward companies that walk away from franchises to avoid payments toGovernment – then expect to bid again or carry on making money somewhere elseon the network. Not reward companies who stealthily widen peak time. Not rewardcompanies who average out the fare cap, so commuters pay way over the odds for aticket – even though Tory ministers tell them it’s OK.

And let’s be honest. Our rail system is not fit for purpose and needs radicalchange. And I think we were too timid about this in government.

It cannot be right that the rail industry costs the taxpayer £4bn a year, yet a fewat the top can walk away with hundreds of millions of pounds in profit every year.

The Tory answer? Close ticket offices. Sack frontline staff. Profit drivinginfrastructure, not just services. Back to the days of Railtrack.

But there is an alternative. Isn’t it time to tackle the fragmentation of our railindustry that is the disastrous legacy of the Tory privatisation?

The country wants us to find a better way to deliver rail service in Britain. That’swhat we heard loud and clear in our policy review. They manage it in other parts ofthe EU. And we can do it here. So, over the coming months, we will be looking at theright way to bring order back to the chaos in our railways.7

SHARON SIMMONDS: Speaking to Labour Party Women’sconference, Ed Milliband declared his aspiration for a 50%female Cabinet and to increase women’s membership to atleast 50% of the Party. This year TSSA made history with a100% female delegation for the first time ever. This impressedEd who thought it would be a fantastic idea to have a phototaken with him - a proud moment for a 1st time delegate.

JANE COPLEY: Thanks to an invitation by Labour Party NECMember and TSSA President, Harriet Yeo, to assist her at thisyear’s Labour Party Conference, I was able to fulfil a long-heldambition to attend a political party conference as an observer(I know, what odd ambitions some people do have!)

I listened to a variety of debates on issues such as health,equality, environment, transport, education: issues which areall at the forefront of trade union campaigns and initiatives.

It was reassuring to hear General Secretary, Gerry Doherty,remind Conference of the desperate need for railrenationalisation and to hear about measures beingimplemented by other unions in order to try to protectworkers in a political climate that lauds the bonus culture,treats job losses and poverty as ‘par for the course’.

TSSA delegation impress Ed

Ed Miliband with Sharon Simmonds, Jill Murdoch, JaneCopley, Hilary Hosking, Pauline McArdle and Harriet Yeo

Trade union delegates united in defence of the NHS

Labour on Transport: “We were too timid about this in government.Isn’t it time to tackle the fragmentation of our rail industry?”

12 November 2011

Chal lenging McNulty

SIR ROY MCNULTY’S report into thefuture of the rail industry was releasedover the summer. Included in it are a slewof recommendations that would bringwholesale change across the industry. Theproposals should be of great concern toeveryone who values our railways andwants to improve public transport inBritain.

In line with the Tory-led government’scuts, the objective of the Report is to findways to reduce the £4.6 billion subsidypaid to Britain’s privately owned railwaycompanies every year. McNulty claims tohave found saving of up to £1 billion to bedelivered by 2018.

It should come as no surprise thatreducing costs by renationalising rail isignored. In October, the Transport forQuality of Life think tank revealed that theprivate train companies make a profit of£1.2 billion – with just this part of theindustry taking more out of the railsystem than the total of McNulty’sdesired savings! They also found that 71per cent of the population supported amove towards greater public ownership.

Where does McNulty’s axe fall?Every railway job is at riskWhat McNulty says: “Driver OnlyOperation (DOO) is a safe method ofoperation and improves performance,with fewer human interactions involved inthe door opening, door closing anddispatch procedure … TOCs should reviewstation staffing as a matter of priority.”

What he means:l Cutting all platform staffl No guards on trains

l Network Rail maintenance staff to becut to 14,000What McNulty says: “human interfaces[should only be] deployed for complextransactions … passenger security is notnecessarily enhanced by the presence of aperson in a ticket office.”What he means: l Cutting ticket office staff at 40 per centof stations in England & Wales l Cutting British Transport Police staff

Poorer pay and conditionsMcNulty has analysed salaries across theindustry, noting how they haveincreased above inflation – includingamongst directors – but using figuresthat many lower-paid members wouldsimply not recognise from their paypackets. What McNulty says: “Even the granting ofinflation-level [pay] increases must bequestioned … the timing, length andpayment for meal and refreshment breaks[should be reviewed] … the overall trendto reduce continually the length of theworking day and the working week isunsustainable.”What he means:l Pay cuts for current and future staffl Rewriting terms and conditions

Fragmentation and deregulationMcNulty raises the possibility offranchises being let for both trainoperating and infrastructuremanagement.

TSSA members in Network Rail will beonly too aware of the constant change asthe company reorganises into adecentralised, regionally based

organisation. McNulty enthusiasticallysupports this.

Increasing fares and reducingaccountability for passengersMcNulty wants to lift the cap on rail fares– already inflation plus 3 per cent –making passengers pay even more.

His report also proposes abolishingPassenger Focus and removing the needfor train operating companies to consultwith the public and gain ministerialapproval to make cuts – for example, toticket offices.

How will the government enactMcNulty’s findings? The simple answer isthat they have already begun. PhilipHammond, the Secretary of State forTransport, may sidestep legislationaltogether. The ‘Rail Delivery Group’ –made up of employers - has alreadyproduced an Initial Industry Plan thatwould cut £1.3 billion out of the industryby 2019. 7

Report by Rob Jenks. The McNultyReport can be read in full athttp://tinyurl.com/mcnultyreport

i

The McNulty report:what you need to know

“The proposals of the McNulty reportrepresent the most serious attack onthe railway industry in a generation.TSSA has no intention of backingdown: our members must stand unitedto stop McNulty’s plan being taken upby the government. Join us in thisfight today” said Manuel Cortes, TSSAAssistant General Secretary.

The trade unions have united tofight against the McNulty report,beginning with the lobby of Parliamentheld on 25 October and continuingwith many other actions up and downthe country.

TSSA is building alliances withaffected community groups so that weare stronger in our dealings with thecompanies who will be implementingmuch of McNulty, the first examplebeing the ‘Save our Stations’ campaign.

Join Save our Railways throughTSSA’s Together for TransportCampaign – visit www.togetherfortransport.org to get involved.

Help us defeat theMcNulty report!

TSSA Journal 13

Chal lenging McNulty

Mercury Press & Media

THE MCNULTY REPORT (see briefingopposite) proposes that the governmentencourage train operating companies toclose staffed ticket offices at 675 stationsacross England and Wales and reduce staffhours at a further 302 locations. In totalthis means that around 40 per cent ofstations will be affected.

The unthinking way in which ticketoffices have been earmarked for closurecasts further doubt on the credibility ofMcNulty’s findings. One West Midlandsticket office on the hit-list has recentlyhad a million pound refurbishment,courtesy of Network Rail! There are anumber of similar horror stories.Smaller ticket offices deserveinvestment to bring them up to dateand improve their accessibility, but themillions already spent on upgrades willbe squandered if the government nowtreats them as unnecessary.

Aside from the very real threat tothousands of ticket office jobs, theimpact on communities will beenormous. Staffed ticket offices are vitalto maintain safe neighbourhoods,ensure good customer service and forproviding assistance to disabled andelderly passengers. Neighbourhoods upand down the country are set to loseout if the government incorporatesMcNulty’s ticket office advice into itsfranchise procedures.

Together for Transport, alongside TSSAand other trade unions, community andpassenger organisations and faith groups,is mobilising public opposition to the

plans. Already, campaign groups havesprung into action, bringing togetherconcerned individuals and organisationsto decide on local strategies. For example,some groups are planning to inviterepresentatives of the train operatingcompanies to public rallies to ask them topledge their commitment to their ticketoffices and staff.

To be successful we need your support.If you can join or form a local action groupand host a public meeting, you will behelping to put pressure on thegovernment and the train operatingcompanies to listen to what is in the realinterests of passengers and workers alike.

The government is set to announcetheir initial response to the McNultyreport recommendations in the next fewmonths. We have a window ofopportunity to ensure that the demandsof the travelling public are in theforefront of their minds when they do.

What You Can Dol Visit our interactive map online atwww.togetherfortransport.org, showingall the stations under threat – is yourcommunity on the McNulty hit-list?

l Contact Together for Transport for a‘Save Our Stations’ campaign pack and tobe put in contact with others in your area.Email info@togetherfortransport.org withyour name and postal addressl Write to your local newspaper about theimpact of ticket office closures in yourcommunity. For a model letter see below(or take a copy from the website).7

Save our ticket offices

A campaign has been launched to savestaffed ticket offices at nearly athousand stations in England andWales after a governmentcommissioned report recommendedthat they be slashed, reports GeorgeWoods.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eaglejoins TSSA’s Manuel Cortes and othersoutside the threatened Mossley Hillstation in Liverpool during Labour Partyconference

Tony Lloyd MP, Chair of the ParliamentaryLabour Party joins the campaign atDeansgate, Manchester

Paul Cou

sans

Dear editor,I was concerned to hear that inresponse to a report produced by SirRoy McNulty, the government isconsidering a recommendation toclose ticket offices at [list localthreatened stations]: train stations werely on in [insert area]. In total, ticketoffices at nearly a thousand stationsacross England and Wales face theaxe.

If these proposals go ahead it willbe a disaster for our local communityand economy. Without staff, many ofthese stations will become a mugger’sparadise: unsafe and unwelcoming.Groups representing women and olderand disabled passengers are right tohave sounded the alarm.

I urge readers to contact their MPsimmediately calling on them tooppose the McNulty report’srecommendations. You can find outmore about what you can do atwww.togetherfortransport.org

Model letter for your local newspaper

14 November 2011

Equal it ies

TSSA HAS BEEN running adyslexia awareness initiativefor over a year. We are talkingopenly about what dyslexia isand how it can impact on ourworking lives. We want tohighlight the issues and equipreps, learning reps andmembers to tackle thepotential barriers that peoplewith dyslexia may encounterin the workplace. Talking to arep or learning rep is the firststep for many individuals. Itcan help people realise thatthey are not alone.

We will be equipping ULRs(Union Learning Reps) and repswith the skills to support andnegotiate for dyslexic

members. This might involveoffering members advice andsignposting on the process ofdyslexia screening, disclosureand assessment, as well asnegotiating reasonableadjustments to their work. Ourtrained dyslexia championscan help dyslexic memberslevel the playing field andachieve their full potential atwork.

The TSSA’s initiative iscurrently focusing on dyslexia,

but dyslexia is closely relatedto a number of otherdifferences in how peopleprocess information. Around50% of people with dyslexiamay also have a relatedsyndrome such as dyspraxia,dyscalculia, Attention DeficitHyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),or an autistic spectrumdisorder. These are all equalityand diversity issues. There aremany sources of supportavailable, with the Equality Act

offering good protection forindividuals with dyslexia.

The Dyslexia LearningOrganiser is currently indiscussion with several trainoperating companies abouttheir participation in dyslexiaawareness training and otherevents such as screening andadvice surgeries. A timetableof events will be published soon– please see the dyslexia areaof the website for details.7

If you would like anyadvice or support please contactTSSA’s Dyslexia LearningOrganiser, Susannah Gill, on07590 22 42 68 orgills@tssa.org.uk

I RECENTLY ATTENDED the launch ofthe new 5th edition of the TUC’s‘Tackling racism’ workbook.

The event was held on 22September at South BirminghamCollege where Wilf Sullivan, the TUC’sRace Equality Officer, introduced thelatest version of this essential resource.

This workbook is an amazing tooland contains a wide variety of topicsincluding sections on Tackling Racism,Equality and Diversity, Discriminationand the Law, Building Equality Rights atWork and many more.

We were joined by 20representatives from a variety of workbackgrounds who listened about howto tackle institutional racism andpromote race equality. The scale of thetask is shocking: Wilf gave us figuresshowing that out of 4,500 racialdiscrimination cases which went toTribunal last year, only 130 weresuccessful – a 3% success rate!

Where we need to focus is winningcollective bargaining agreements

within our workplaces and to bothtackle racism and to raise awareness ofthe need for all to join in the struggleagainst racism in the workplace.

Caroline Pilbeam, Secretary ofMidland TOC Branch 727, who alsoattended, adds “This is a very wellstructured book that gives you a goodinsight into the problem of racism inthe workplace. The event was anexcellent reminder of the need to makesure everyone can feel comfortablewhere they work and the need totackle any form of racism.”7

Manjit Gill

The workbook, which can beordered from the TUC (020 7636 4030)costs £10 and is a must for allworkplaces!

THE 2011 TSSA E-MIXWeekend School isan opportunity for Black, Asian andMinority Ethnic members to meet, learnand discuss issues they face.

The sessions will be a mixture ofplenary sessions and smaller groupworkshops with a range of speakersincluding TSSA’s General Secretary, arepresentative from the TUC and one ofTSSA’s elected national officers.

The event will be held in Eastbourne,running from 10am on Saturday 12November to lunchtime on the Sunday.

Accommodation and meals will beprovided and travel costs reimbursed. Theschool will start midday and there is £15deposit which is returnable if you attend.

Overnight accommodation will beprovided on Saturday night and also onFriday for those who need it.7

If you are interested to attending orwish to register for the weekendschool please email the E-mixSecretary at asif67@btinternet.com

Dyslexia and neurodiversity initiative

‘Tackling racism’book launched

TSSA E-mix WeekendSchool:12-13 November

Caroline Pilbeam and Manjit Gill

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TSSA Journal 15

helpdesk

Pay whilst away on acourse?Q. I have to go on a course nextweek. The actual training runsfrom 9am to 4.30pm every day,but as I’m forced to stay at thetraining centre shouldn’t I bepaid for all the time I’m away?

A. In a recent judgment theEmployment Appeal Tribunal hasclarified the rules around theWorking Time and NationalMinimum Wage Regulations. Theposition is that if you are juststaying overnight you are notworking, and so not entitled to bepaid. On the other hand, we wouldargue that if you are set any“homework” to be completed inthe evening, then you should bepaid for the time doing that, as thatis part of the actual course andtherefore counts as “work”.

Leave entitlementwhilst off sickQ. I was off sick for the lastthree months of our leave year,which runs from April to April. Ihad some outstanding leavewhich I was unable to take. Myboss now says that as I didn’t askfor it during the year I haveforfeited it. How could I takeleave when I was off sick?

A. Though many employers seemto think otherwise, theEmployment Appeal Tribunalrecently ruled that if a person is offsick they are presumed not to havebeen well enough to exercise their“right to enjoy a period ofrelaxation and leisure”. The EATalso ruled that this right applieswithout having to make a writtenrequest to carry forward leave. As Ihave said before, this will onlyapply to your statutory leave.

Anything above that depends onyour contract.As to what the position might

be in the case of a fit employeewho fails to make any request forleave during the whole of a leaveyear, it is suggested that they losethe right to take annual leave,because they will have had everyopportunity to exercise the right totake it.

Forced to take leaveafter riotsQ. The shop I work in had itswindows smashed in the recentriots. We had to close for twodays while everything was cleanedup and the windows repaired. Themanager said that as we couldn’twork we had to take the time offas part of our leave. As I havebooked all my leave I refused –now they say I won’t be paid.

A. There are a few issues here. Itwill depend on your contract, butgenerally if you had been unable toget to work because there was nopublic transport or the police hadcordoned off the area then youwould not have been entitled topayment. As you turned upprepared to work but the employercould not provide it, you areentitled to be paid unless your

contract says otherwise. It may bepossible for your employer to insiston you taking your contractual leave(any leave granted to you over andabove the statutory 28 days), againdepending on your contractualarrangements for the allocation ofleave. In your case, as you only getthe statutory leave anyway, theWorking Time Regulations apply –the employer can insist you takeleave, but must give twice as muchnotice as the number of days youhave to take. That wasn’t the casehere, so you are entitled to be paidfor the two days.

Time limit oninvestigationsQ. I have been suspended whilethe company carries out aninvestigation. How long are theyallowed to take before they have toconclude the formal investigation?

A. A company has a duty toinvestigate matters to a degreecommensurate with the severity ofany possible disciplinary sanctions,so while we would expect aninvestigation to be concluded asquickly as possible, we would alsoinsist on it being thorough.Therefore the length of theinvestigation would depend on theindividual circumstances.

If you have a question about your workplace rights, call our employment law specialists on 0800 3282673in the UK or 1800 805272 in the Republic of Ireland or email helpdesk@tssa.org.ukHours: Monday to Thursday 8am–6pm Friday 8am–5pm

0800 3282673/1800 805272UK

Republic of Ireland

roadscum

16 November 2011

TSSA personal injury service

Member’s son wins helpafter medical negligenceWhen James was a youngchild, he suffered repeatedheadaches, which his GPand specialists could notsuccessfully diagnose.When he had just turnedeight years old, Stacey, hismother, took him for hisfirst X-ray. “He was so brave at thetime,” she says today. “Hekept perfectly still whilethe machine scanned hishead. I remember theradiologist telling him tokeep his eyes shut and Iwas so worried that hemight take a peek at thewrong time. Curiosity usedto get the better of him.But he was as good asgold. I remember takinghim for ice-creamafterwards. He’d been sogood he was allowed topick whatever he wanted.He chose a kind of toffeeripple and wanted to haveit dipped in this toppingthat he hadn’t seen beforebut had noticed in thedisplay. That was beforehe lost his eyesight, ofcourse.” The doctors at the timesaid that the X-ray wasinconclusive, andcontinued to run othertests. It took doctors solong to diagnose James’

brain tumour that he hadalready lost sight in botheyes before they coulddetermine the cause of theheadaches and his otherpresenting symptoms.While James underwentsurgery to have thetumour – a non-cancerous-meningioma – removed,Stacey and the family gotthe devastating news froma specialist who reviewedJames’ case notes. Thetumour was evident in theX-ray James had so bravelyundergone years before,but doctors at the timehad failed to diagnose it. Because James was achild, Stacey was able tobring a medicalnegligence claim againstthe authority throughLegal Aid. An AreaPerformance Manager andlong-standing member ofTSSA, Stacey approachedTSSA’s injury experts,Morrish Solicitors, foradvice. “I’ve never had anyinterest in claiming forcompensation, but my sonhad gone blind and thepeople who could haveintervened had failed todo so. To me this was clearcut example of negligenceand I could not face the

idea that it would happento someone else. I went toMorrish because TSSA hadbeen with them for years,they specialise in this areaof work and, with afranchise in Legal Aid, itmeant that I could affordto bring the claim. If I’dhad to pay for the feesmyself there is no way Icould afford to bring theclaim for what happenedto James.” Stacey met with Jane atMorrish’s, who usedJames’ case notes andevidence fromindependent medicalexperts to establish thatJames had a viable claim.At first the authoritydenied any wrong-doing,and it was only after Janefiled Court Proceedingsand had instructedCounsel that theyconceded liability. “I was stunned, andfrankly disgusted, at howfar the Defendants werewilling to go to playhardball. My son could nolonger see and they wereat fault but they arguedevery insignificant point.Jane was a very calminginfluence and took it all inher stride.” Meanwhile James’ surgery

had been successful. Thetumour was removed, buthis eyesight would neverrecover. He needed toadapt his home and hislifestyle to his newcondition as a member ofthe blind community.“It was agony to watchhim every day. Through itall, he was trying to bebrave, just like at that firstX-ray. There were timeswhen it got too much forhim. He was a teenager bythen. The number of timesI found him crying, it washeart-breaking. But evenwhen he’d been torn upabout losing his sight, hewould say to me afterward‘I’m OK, Mum. I’ve still gotyou and the family, right?’Well, what motherwouldn’t be proud ofthat?” Negotiations continuedand finally the day camewhen Jane advised Staceyto accept the other side’soffer. The compensation,which will reach sevenfigures, includes interim

payments to help Jamesduring the negotiations, alump sum payment tohelp him adapt his livingenvironment, and periodicpayments through his life. “I would not have knownwhere to turn to get helpfor my son. ThankfullyTSSA has incrediblelawyers.”

l Based on a real lifecase. Details have beenchanged to protect theidentities of the innocent. Morrish Solicitors LLPspecialises in medicalnegligence cases.Although the coalitiongovernment now plans tocut Legal Aid for medicalnegligence claims, stepsare underway to keepthem ‘in scope’. For moreinformation, please referto www.soundoffforjustice.orgMorrish Solicitors is aLimited LiabilityPartnership and regulatedby the SolicitorsRegulation Authority.

ACCIDENTS AT WORK ACCIDENTS OUTSIDE WORK ASSAULTS ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS SLIPS OR TRIPS OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE

TSSA Personal Injury ServicesFree to Members & their families

0800 093 0353

Accidents do not happen- they are caused!As a member of the TSSA, should either you or your immediate family suffer injurythrough someone else’s negligence, you will be entitled to FREE legal advice andrepresentation from our specialist personal injury lawyers Morrish Solicitors LLP. No money will be deducted from any compensation recovered and no charge will bemade to you or your family for the advice and representation you receive.If you’d like to find out more, call us today and we will look after you.

George Doyle

TSSA Journal 17

executive committee elections

Treasurer

Mick Carney

Personal statementThe TSSA is facing one of the gravestthreats in its history.

The McNulty Report seeks to decimatethe railway workforce in a way not seensince privatisation. Economically ourmembers face challenges every day as thegovernment makes working people pay forthe financial crisis.

Well-trained reps are more importantthan ever as members come underincreasing workplace pressure. If elected Iwould continue to support the TSSA’sexcellent training programme.

As you are aware the TSSA faces anuncertain future. I believe that I have theexperience and knowledge to fill theoffice I am seeking. As your Treasurer I willendeavour to protect the Association’sfinancial assets and its diversemembership within all of our workplacesto the best of my ability.

We need a strong voice to deal with allour future challenges and to bring allmembers forward with us. I therefore askfor your support.

BiographyFor the last twenty years I have beenemployed as a booking clerk at Penge Eaststation. My career began on a YTS schemein Middlesbrough and Darlington. Workbeing hard to come by in my native NorthEast as a 17 year old I moved to Londonwhere I was engaged as a carriage cleanerat East Ham. After a year I worked atdespatch in York and then, in 1988, at theTEB Central Telephone Enquiry Bureaux atWaterloo transferring into the TSSA uponmy move into clerical grades. I am currentlya member of the Southeastern Metro Branch.

I have been a workplace representativefor ten years and station staff companycouncil representative for SoutheasternRailway for six years.

I have attended the National Repstraining seminar for the last four years, thelast one as a tutor.

For the first two formative years I wasactive in future@ (now futureTSSA)helping to resolve young members’ issuesand campaigning for a greaterinvolvement of young people in theAssociation. After this, although my ageprevented me taking an active role, Icontinued to raise funds for the group fora number of years.

For the past ten years I have served asBranch Secretary and am Divisional CouncilSecretary for London South East. I haverepresented my branch at theAssociation’s Annual Conference, thedemocratic policy making body of theunion, for ten years and was elected by theTSSA’s membership to serve on its StandingOrders Committee. I was also elected torepresent the TSSA at the TUC Congress in2008 and 2009 and currently serve on theAssociation’s Executive Committee.

Union positions held currentlyw Workplace Repw Company Council Repw Union Learning Steering Committeew Branch Correspondence Secretaryw Divisional Council CorrespondenceSecretaryw London & South East ExecutiveCommittee Member

Union positions held previouslyw Union Learning Repw TSSA Delegate to TUC 2008 and 2009w TSSA SOC committee memberw Future@ (forerunner to Future TSSA) 2 years

Trade union educationw TUC Stage 1w Bullying and harassment level 2w Employment law level 2w Equalities level 2w Discipline and grievance level 2w Strategic cooperate research level 2w Company accounts level 2w Peer training coursew Equalities summer schoolw Recruitment summer schoolw London and South East WeekendSchool – Fight back against the cuts(organiser and tutor)w National Reps Training Seminar –Community organising (tutor)w Branch officers weekend trainingevent

Steph Owens

Personal statementThe discussions which TSSA is having ata national level with the RMT and,perhaps other rail unions, may result inthe creation of a new organisation. Weneed to ensure that when we enterthese discussions, we do so with thestrongest possible organisation behindus. Such an organisation requiresorganised reps and activists who areable and willing to develop roots outinto the community. This is vital, giventhe current economic climate andsavage cut backs to public services bythe Coalition Government.

I am proud to be a socialist and Ibelieve that the only way forward forour industry is to take rail back intopublic ownership. I hope that you willsupport me and encourage others to doso. If elected, I assure you that I willcontinue to do everything I can toensure the best possible future for ourunion and our members.

BiographyI am standing for election as Treasurerbecause I believe the work which we havestarted to do in establishing linksbetween reps in train operatingcompanies and across Network Rail will bevital over the coming months and years.

I have been active in TSSA since joiningthe railway industry in 1989 and have helda variety of roles at Branch and DivisionalCouncil level since that time and was theTSSA lay representative on the MerseyrailJoint Safety Committee for several years. Ihave been Branch Secretary for Merseyrailsince its formation and am currentlyCompany Council rep for managementgrades for Merseyrail, having previouslybeen Company Council rep for clericalgrades between 1994 and 2003. I havejust started my second three year term ofoffice as Executive Committee memberfor Liverpool, North Wales and Cheshire.

18 November 2011

executive committee elections

London Transport Divisionexecutive committee seat

Bernard Gentry

Personal statementWe face an uncertain future withongoing threats to our Pensions, Healthand Safety, Terms and Conditions andour Jobs. That is why our Division needsa strong voice to put your interests atthe centre of the Executive Committee’sthinking.

I can provide that voice which is whyI am asking for your support in the ECElection.

My Five Key Prioritiesw To ensure that your pensions are safein the years ahead.w To protect and enhance your Termsand Conditions and improve your Health& Safety at work.w To lead the battle against any futurepotential job lossesw To ensure that TSSA gives more helpand support to our reps who do such agood job often in very difficultsituations with increasingly hostilemanagements to deal with.

To work with branches and reps toexpand TSSA membership especially inthose workplaces where membership islow.

BiographyI joined TSSA at the same time I joinedLondon Transport in 1983. In the 28years since then, as well as workingacross the underground network on theNorthern, Metropolitan and VictoriaLines as a Booking Clerk and morerecently a Station Supervisor, I have alsoplayed a full and active role in our unionincluding being:w Chair London Transport DivisionalCouncil w Currently Vice – Chair LT DivisionalCouncil w Currently Chair Underground No.1Branch w Vice Chair Underground No.1 Branch

w TSSA Annual Conference Delegate 5timesw TSSA Local Rep for 25yrs

I also have a reputation for gettingthings done, holding management toaccount and standing up for you – themember! I have been a rep for 25 yearsand have a vast experience including:w Currently TSSA Chair of the Stations &Revenue Safety Council w Currently TSSA Rep on Stations &Revenue Safety Council w Currently TSSA H&S Tier 1 Rep w TSSA IR Rep w Member of TSSA Team at ACAS talks2010w Member of TSSA Team at Dispute talks2007w Currently TSSA Rep on LUL SafetyForumw Currently TSSA Rep on the 4CompanySafety Forumw Currently leading for TSSA on theSecondary Safety Revieww Currently TSSA Rep on the UniformCommittee

I am also deeply involved in my localcommunity in South London. I served 8years as a Councillor on LambethCouncil holding many senior positionsincluding Group Leader. I also served 2years on the Western Riverside WasteAuthority responsible for refuse andrecycling in four south and west LondonBoroughs. In addition I have been agovernor on three schools in my localarea and was Chair of the local towncentre board.

Londonwide I was a candidate in theGLA Elections in 2004 and nationally Ihave contested 2 Parliamentary Seats inVauxhall in 1992 and Telford in 1997.Over the years I have had many articlesin the local, regional and national pressand television appearances includingNewsnight and BBC and ITV regionalnews programmes.

Felicity Premru

Personal statementWe are currently facing unprecedentedattacks on the public sector andmarginalisation of trade unions.

The proud history of London‘s diverseand dedicated transport workforce hasbeen marred by the use of the companyas a political football, management fadsand encroaching privatisation. We needto fight every job cut and listen tomembers who know best how to providesustainable transport for London.

We need w Collective campaigns to fight cuts injobs and services, equality and pensionsat risk w A strong voice for all of us in LTDivisionw Better communications, democraticparticipation, support and protection forreps and members in the Underground,Buses and TfLw Democratic accountability, acommitted EC member, and regularreports from EC w Strategy for expanded, integrated,publicly-owned transport w Full member and rep participation inany partnership and merger proposals,which must work for all grades and areas

BiographyI work at London Transport Museum andhave been an active member of TSSAsince joining LT 21 years ago. I amcurrently an Industrial RelationsRepresentative and Vice Chair of TfLCentral Branch (460).

I am delegate to LT Divisional Council,Hackney Trades Council and was electedfor the regional delegation to SouthEast Region TUC where I sit on theTransport Committee and Women’sCommittee. I have frequentlyrepresented my branch at AnnualConference collaborating within ourDivision to shape our union’s policy.

I was elected to the nationaldelegation to TUC in Manchester in2010 where TSSA was a force for change.

executive committee elections

TSSA Journal 19

I am involved in local and nationalanti-cuts groups to save our services,the local residents and tenantsassociation, in community issues, andwith environmental initiatives whichpromote the expansion of publictransport. I work with trade unionofficials and activists in the CampaignAgainst Climate Change Trade UnionGroup which is promoting a TSSA-supported campaign for one million newclimate jobs – presenting a logical andeconomic case for more, not fewer jobsin the public sector.

As a parent who firmly believes inaccess for all to good, free and inclusivestate education, I chaired theManagement Committee of New RiverGreen Early Years Centre, have beenactive in the PTAs at my daughter’sprimary and secondary schools andrecently helped steer a successfulteacher-parent campaign to stopunpopular moves towards our localcommunity school becoming anAcademy.

I am anti-cuts and for social justice,but do not belong to any political party.I believe we should all work together tobuild a strong opposition and createpositive alternatives.

Jason Turvey

Personal statementI respectfully seek your support forelection to the Executive Committee.

I have been an active trade unionist forover twenty years and a trade unionrepresentative for fifteen years.

We are all facing the deepest andharshest cuts in public services in over ageneration – I believe that I possess theexperience and the skills of negotiationand representation to fight these cutshead-on and to help to protect your jobs,your pay, your conditions of service andyour pensions.

With the future of our union nowforemost in our minds at this time, Ipledge to champion your views on anypossible merger at Executive Committeeand to keep you up to date on the latestnews and developments.

Thank you for taking the time to readthis. Please vote for me in this election.

Biography22 years as an employee of LondonUnderground Ltd

An active trade unionist since the ageof 16 and a trade union representativesince 1995

Not a member of any political partyand with no political affiliation.

London Underground CareerI joined London Underground Limited in1989, aged 16, as a Passenger ServicesTrainee

I have worked on stations includingLiverpool Street, Aldgate, Leytonstone andMile End

I have also worked as a signaller atNewbury Park and Hainault before movingto Earl’s Court in 1997

I am still based at Earl’s Court ServiceControl Room, managing the competenceof signallers that work there

TSSA roles, responsibilities and activitiesI was elected to represent TSSA at ServiceControl Functional Council in 2006, whereI continue to represent TSSA membersand am Staff Side Secretary

I am the Staff Side Secretary of theService Control Joint Working Group, asub-committee of the Company Counciltasked with addressing members’ issues inconnection with ongoing line upgrades

I represent TSSA at the UniformConsultative Committee

I have represented TSSA members atgrievances, Case Conferences, disciplinaryhearings and at Director level

I represented TSSA in LUL Pay Talks2011

I regularly update members within myfunction and in my branch with emailbulletins and newsletters.

I was a delegate for my branch at TSSAAnnual Conference in 2008 and elected tothe Standing Orders Committee in 2011

I am Branch Secretary of UndergroundOperating Managers branch

I am a branch delegate on TSSA LondonTransport Divisional Council

I am an active recruiter of TSSAmembers, both at induction stage for newrecruits to existing staff in my workplace

I proudly attended the TUC ‘March forthe Alternative’ demonstration in March2011

I administer both a branch and ServiceControl TSSA page on Facebook

Past trade union experience andqualificationsLocal industrial relations representative onthe Central and Piccadilly lines

Line-based industrial relationsrepresentative on the Central line

Functional Committee and FunctionalCouncil representative in the signallingand Service Control functions

Health and Safety Representative atlocal and line levels

TUC Youth Delegate, 1997TUC Stage 1 Industrial Relations courseTUC Stage 2 Industrial Relations courseTUC Stage 1 Health and Safety courseTUC Stage 2 Heath and Safety courseTSSA Reps’ Training Seminar delegate

2010

20 November 2011

letters

Cards on the tableI am fully in favour of amerger between the TSSAand the RMT and I’ll givesome reasons.However, before that, I

want to express myconcerns over why mostTSSA members that Ispeak to have particularperceptions. Theseperceptions are roughly:l We are rushing into thiswithout exploring all theoptionsl The discussions withRMT are at an advancedstagel RMT would dominateus and the TSSA culturewould be lost.The reasons for these

views are largely to do withpoor communications withthe wider membership andthe lack of a two wayprocess.

Many TSSA memberswill have reservationsabout such a merger and itis crucial that theleadership does notappear to be chargingahead regardless.Individuals as well as

branches should get asmuch information aspossible but, moreimportantly, must begiven the opportunity, andbetter, be encouraged, toask questions, makesuggestions and to discussthe issues. Unless there isa chance to have an input,or ‘to left off steam’ thenwhen the final decisionsneed to be made manywill remain suspiciousand alienated.One issue raised in my

branch is over managers.If there had been, at anearly stage, a request for

views and some had said‘What about managers?’The published answermay have been ‘We willexplore managerbranches, maintainingrepresentation and evenmanager conferences’.Joint statement 4 does gosome way towards thisand should win overmany but are weconfident we have pickedup all the keyreservations?It is not too late.These are some of the

obvious reasons for amerger with RMT:l Negotiations with oneunion per workplace/company should saveresources, avoid division,strengthen our impact,and make easier a two waycommunication with allmembers.

l Campaigning onnational issues such aspensions and the McNultyreport would be easier tocoordinate, save researchand other resources andavoid divisionl Despite the differentstyle of RMT leadershipthey are on the same sideas us when we areattacked by Governmentand employers – which ismost of the timel Such a merger couldretain many aspects ofTSSA structures, cultureand activities.So TSSA leadership

should focus on the keyissue and have the courageto open this up to muchwider debate.

Andy BainNetwork Rail NorthLondon Branch Chair

letters

This is your chance to share your views with thousands of other TSSA members. The deadline for the next issue is Monday 14 November. Email journal@tssa.org.uk or write to TSSA Journal, Walkden House, 10 Melton Street, London, NW1 2EJ.

Disability Working Group AGM

3 NOVEMBER 2011, 7.30pmStockport Railway Station,Platform 3 (fully accessible).

Branch meetings are heldat the same venue on thefirst Thursday of the monthexcept January and August.

THE DWG INVITE you to the AGM on Saturday 12 November 2011from 12pm to 2.30pm at the Rudyard Hotel, 271 Wellington RoadNorth, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK4 5BP.

The venue is fully accessible and refreshments will beprovided.7

For further information regarding this meeting or if you wishto attend, please contact our secretary, Pauline McArdle viatssadwg@yahoo.co.uk / 07894810550

RUSKIN COLLEGE – the trade union college will be holding open days for those interested instudying for an MA in International Labour & Trade Union Studies on Saturday 19 November 2011, 4 February 2012, 2 June 2012.

The MA aims to stretch students to think critically and creatively about new and creative strategiesof labour movement growth and transformation, and their own role and identity as part of this. 7

For more information contact Liz Mathews (lmathews@ruskin.ac.uk) 01865 759608 or seewwww.ruskin.ac.uk/course/84/summary

Study at Ruskin College, Oxford

Lancashire andCumbria GeneralBranch (96) AGM

Shim

gray / CC BY-SA

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