Orange Is The New Black - April 2024

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

2023 – 2025 PAY AWARD

Following lengthy negotiations with the company, and a referendum of RMT Members, a 3 year pay award has been accepted by the membership. The pay award is as follows:

• 2023 - 6.5% uplift on all pay and allowances or a minimum payment of £2,000 for anyone with a salary of under £30,000

• 2024 - An uplift on all pay and allowances of February RPI 2024 or a minimum payment of £1,750 for anyone with a salary of under £32,000

• 2025 - An uplift on all pay and allowances of February RPI 2025 or a minimum

payment for anyone earning less than £33,750, which will be negotiated in February 2025 as inflation forecasts become more accurate

• Enhanced premature baby leave, allowing both parents (where they are employees) one extra day of leave on full pay for each day their premature baby spends in hospital up to what would have been the 37th week of pregnancy.

As a result of members voting to accept this deal, all payments are backdated to the relevant pay anniversary.

To give some scope on how the increases will

affect members we are giving two examples of the salary increases. This process is how the increases will be applied.

Traincare Level 1 Grade

The salary for a Traincare Level 1 will be affected as follows

2022 Salary - £25,325

2023 Salary (Applying £2000 increase as the base salary is under £30,000) - £27,325. This is applied March 2024 backdated to April 1st 2023.

2024 Salary (Applying £1750 increase as the base salary is under £32,000) - £29,075. This is applied April 1st 2024.

2025 Salary This increase is to be applied April 2025

Customer Host GPR Grade

The salary for a Customer Host GPR will be affected as follows

2022 Salary - £35,616

2023 Salary (Applying 6.5% increase as the base salary is over £30,000) - £37,932. This is applied March 2024 backdated to April 1st 2023.

2024 Salary (Applying Feb 2024 RPI of 4.5% increase as the base salary is over £32,000)£39,639 This is applied April 1st 2024.

2025 Salary This Increase is to be applied April 2025

In addition, enhancement talks started from 19th February and are currently still on going. The issues discussed in the enhancement talks had centered around:

• One extra day’s annual leave. Members would be able to sell this day at the end of the year if they choose, which would be payable the following year.

• Colleagues to be able to carry over 2 unused annual leave days per leave year which must be used within 3 months (By the first 3 months of the next annual leave year)

• Option to work rest days and take as lieu days – up to 5. Must be used within 6 months of rest day worked. This point would be applicable to all RMT recognised grades.

• Taxis for Xmas Eve - evening taxis for Customer Service staff who are working Xmas Eve who finish at or after 20.00, to

their address within their workday

• Harmonisation on long service awards for Customer Service, Shunters and Traincare (West Anglia to Classic Approach)

• Alignment of anniversary dates to 1st April - this impacts West Anglia Shunters West Anglia Platform and Sales Staff (currently 3rd April), and West Anglia Traincare and West Anglia Revenue Protection (Currently 28th May)

The business had also proposed a bonus scheme for attaining high customer service metric scores, however after further investigation with the RMT reps, and confirmation that this would include making staff fall under monitoring for productivity, your Company Council reps rejected the proposals.

Your RMT Company Council reps will be meeting the ARL Directorate to finalise the enhancements in the near future and will keep you posted on the updates of this. We thank you all for your support and backing during this matter.

BODY WORN CAMERAS

RMT Reps in the Policy Working Group Forum had been in discussions with the business regarding the creation of a Body Worn Camera policy that would be applicable to staff in all functions, but our main concerns were primarily in the customer experience grades.

After discussing the policy with the business and there being written confirmation that the use of Body Worn Cameras would not be used in grades unless there was a grade agreement, we were shocked to be told that the business intended to implement the use of the camera for ARL Customer Experience staff. This is something we did not approve of and are very robustly against. After some discussions with the Customer Experience Director and the HR Director we now have agreement that the Body Worn Cameras are not to be used for disciplinary purposes.

However, we still have major concerns about how these cameras will be employed and have seen on other train operating companies that even the use of them ‘voluntarily’ has led to members finding themselves in disciplinary proceedings and in one case sacked from the job. With these concerns in mind your RMT reps advise against the use of any Body Worn Camera equipment until such a time that the concerns that we have are alleviated.

While we know that staff and passenger assaults (both verbal and physical) are on the rise we would like to see more in the way of BTP presence and action taken against people who have been abusive to staff and passengers. The use of Body Worn Cameras does not prevent action but records it, which doesn’t address the bigger issues we face.

WEST ANGLIA HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS UPDATE

A meeting to try and avoid a dispute with Arriva Rail London was held where the issue of West Anglia Staff not being given full release to attend hospital appointments was addressed. The RMT position, (with years of historical evidence supporting), is that hospital appointments which are not booked and arranged but are given to members are full day release. There had been a change in approach from the business in the last year and a half where they were now trying to give partial release for these appointments.

The meeting was fruitful with both the Directors and RMT reps having a frank and thorough discussion on this with the aim that the directors would take away the concerns and hope to resolve this. We will keep members updated on the outcome of this.

For ARL Classic staff ‘If you agree an appointment time with a doctor, dentist, hospital etc. then this should be at a time that doesn’t clash with your expected hours at work. However, if attending an appointment where you are given a time without a choice, as often happens with hospital appointments, paid time off will normally be granted where this directly clashes with your working hours. Where practical you should attend work before or after the appointment in order to minimise costs to the business.’

The emphasis is where practical so if it is not practical for the member to attend before or after their hospital appointment then full release is granted and has been the case since 2014 when this was written. Please note this agreement is specifically for the non-West Anglia staff. ARL Classic staff are reminded that ‘…. the company position on hospital appointments for classic employees had not changed, and that (managers) should still be employing the agreement. Swapping shifts and taking annual leave do not form part of this agreement’.

RPI PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Your RMT reps have had concerns raised to

them that RPI members have been receiving letters where they are being questioned about not having issued a number of penalty fare notices and being called in for meetings about their performance as RPIs.

The RMT position on this is that we do NOT do performance management in any of our grades. It is rather disappointing that instead of the business to have approached us regarding these matters as the recognised trade union reps for the grade they have instead gone directly to members with a process that we do not recognise.

A number of meetings have been arranged to try and address this matter. Should you have any concerns regarding this, or have received a letter or invite to a discussion on this, please contact your RPI Company Council Reps David Kavule (Classic), and Beverleigh Thomas (West Anglia)

ARRIVA RAIL LONDON CULTURE REVIEW

ARL released the Culture Review results that took place last year, following on from an Employment Tribunal case that found that a member had been racially harassed in our Control department.

At our last Company Council meeting your RMT Company Council reps addressed that fact that despite the results having been known for near on 6 months there had been no meeting with any of the Trade Unions on the report or how it would be applied. We have been informed that a meeting will be scheduled to take place before the next Company Council meeting in June. We will update members on everything that is discussed at the time.

EQUALITY DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

We remind members that there is an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group where we have RMT representation. A number of members have raised the fact that they haven’t felt included or involved in some events that have taken place and we encourage members to contact the steering group RMT Representative Qmran Fazal with any ideas or if they would like to get involved. Please email [email protected]

Your London Overground RMT Reps

Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside Line

Functional Rep: Jonathan Mortimer – 07446 845 384 [email protected]

Local Rep: Zabir Mohamed - 07903 678 007 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep: Jonathan Mortimer – 07446 845 384 [email protected]

North London Line

Functional Rep: Jonathan Mortimer -07446 845 384 [email protected]

Local Rep (Stratford - Kentish Town West): Sala

Schweitzer 07588 779 179 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep (Stratford - Kentish Town West): Theresa Opoku Ware 07508 965 265 [email protected]

Local Rep (Gospel Oak – Kensal Rise): Minesh Patel 07411 459 805 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep (Gospel Oak – Kensal Rise): Minesh Patel 07411 459 805 [email protected]

East London Line (Core) (Dalston Junction – Wandsworth Road)

Functional Rep: Walé Agunbiadé – 07966 420 96

Local Rep: Qmran Fazal – 07538 978 194 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep: Qmran Fazal – 07538 978 194 [email protected]

East London Line (South of New Cross Gate)

Functional Rep: Serge Kenemo (Covering) – 07932 692 848 [email protected]

Local Rep: (New Cross Gate - Sydenham): Serge Kenemo 07932 692 848 [email protected]

Local Rep: (Crystal Palace/Anerley - West Croydon): Serge Kenemo (Covering) – 07932 692 848 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep: Trevor Cope – 07565 831 313 [email protected]

West London Line & DC Line

Functional Rep: Chris Newton – 07342 023 729 [email protected]

Local Rep: (Willesden - Clapham Junction: Abi Sisodia – 07788 721 421 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep: (South Hampstead - Watford Junction) Andrew Hallisey – 07947 119 101 [email protected]

Local Rep: (South Hampstead - Watford Junction)

John O’Malley – 07870 829 764 [email protected]

Health & Safety Rep: (Willesden Junction - Clapham Junction) Chris Newton – 07841 348 057 [email protected]

West Anglia Inners

Functional Rep: (Liverpool Street – Enfield Town/S): Peter Whitelegg (Covering) – 07779 913 606 [email protected]

Functional Rep: (Hackney Downs – Chingford): Beverleigh Thomas – 07966 420 976 [email protected]

Local Rep: Samantha Louis – 07943 260 861

[email protected]

Local Rep: Peter Whitelegg – 07779 913 606 [email protected]

Local Rep (Seven Sisters Dispatch): Beverleigh Thomas (Covering) – 07966 420 976 [email protected]

Customer Service Ambassadors

All Areas (Incl Health & Safety): Tony King 07809 622 117 – [email protected]

Revenue Protection

Functional Rep (North London Line, East London Line, West London & DC Lines, Gospel Oak –Barking): David Kavule – 07508 228 765 [email protected]

Local Rep: Edward Okoh – 07833 206 159 [email protected]

Functional Rep (Liverpool Street -Chingford/ Cheshunt): Beverleigh Thomas – 07966 420 976 [email protected]

Traincare / Yard Controllers / Shunters

Traincare/Train Presentation Company Council Rep (Lorol Classic): Nikola Tatarliev – 07858 499 751 [email protected]

Traincare/Train Presentation Company Council Rep (West Anglia): Beverleigh Thomas – 07966 420 976 [email protected]

Traincare/Train Presentation Local Rep (Dalston Junction – New Cross Gate): Nana Ameyaw– 07908 655 739 – [email protected]

Yard Controllers Local Rep: Nikola Tatarliev – 07858 499 751

Shunters (West Anglia): David Warren [email protected]

Traincare/Train Presentation Health & Safety Rep (Dalston Junction – New Cross Gate): Katie Francis –07957 394 631 – [email protected]

Willesden Health & Safety Rep: Jean Louis Delomme –07949 154 390 – [email protected]

Wembley C Sidings Health & Safety Rep: Thomas Boadu – 07939 652 202 – [email protected]

RMT BRANCH MEETINGS

East London Rail

Every 1st Tuesday of the month at 17.00

Red Lion

1 Eldon Street (5 mins walk from Liverpool Street Station) London

EC2M 7LS

Branch Secretary: Walé Agunbiadé [email protected]

07930 112 824

Willesden Rail

Every 1st Thursday of the month at 15.00

The North London Tavern

375 Kilburn High Road

NW6 7QB.

Next to Brondesbury Station.

Branch Secretary: David Kavule [email protected]

07508 228 765

Croydon No 1

Every last Tuesday in the month at 18.00

42 Dagnall Park, Selhurst London

SE25 6NS

Branch Secretary: Uche Ngadi [email protected]

07525 615 877

Waltham Cross & District

Every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 18.30

Cheshunt & District Royal British Legion Club LTD

37 CrossbrookSt Cheshunt Waltham Cross

EN8 8

Branch Secretary: Sam Addo [email protected]

07830 759 316

Deptford

Every 2nd Thursday in the month at 19.00

Railway Club

19 Beacon Road Hither Green London

SE13 6EQ [email protected]

Watford

Bi-Monthly last Tuesday of the month at 18.00.

Watford Social Club 70-72 Queens Road, Watford

WD17 2LA

Five Mins from Watford Junction Station

Branch Secretary: Stewart Cameron [email protected] 07759 531 761 If