02.12.15
Revised Night Tube pay offer ‘not up to expectations’ of union leaders
Representatives from rail union RMT are not satisfied with London Underground’s (LU’s) latest Night Tube pay offer and will consider what the next steps should be in the dispute, it has been revealed.
Its general secretary, Mick Cash, said yesterday (1 December) that the union had held its first meeting after LU published a revised and more polished pay offer for Tube staff in an effort to end the ongoing row.
But the feedback from the meeting was that the offer did not match up to the union’s expectations across the board, and fell short in “a number of key areas”.
“That feedback will now be considered by the union’s executive committee, who will make decisions on the next steps that RMT will follow over the Night Tube and pay and conditions issues,” Cash said.
“External attempts to apply pressure on RMT’s internal democracy and processes will have no impact on our procedures whatsoever.”
LU urged rail union leaders to consult their leaders on modified offers after a revamped proposal was put forward last week.
As part of changes to pay and staffing conditions, the company guaranteed that the previous three-year pay offer would be extended to four years – covered by LU’s business plan – in order to provide further job certainty.
Steve Griffiths, LU’s chief operating officer, said the revised offer was a result of close attention to union feedback, meaning no existing driver would have to work the Night Tube unless they chose to do so.
As before, LU will offer a £500 bonus for all staff on Night Tube lines, but it will no longer pay a £200 bonus per Night Tube shift to drivers.
At the time, union leaders did not comment on the offer itself, instead just blasted LU’s management for releasing the revised proposal to the media before giving unions enough time to read its contents or consult with representatives.
Finn Brennan of Aslef, which represents 85 % of Tube drivers, said: “It's good to see that the RMT reps and their executive committee share our view that the current offer is simply not good enough.
“I hope that all the unions on LU will now work together to achieve a settlement that is fair for all staff.”
Unions had decided to re-enter talks with LU management on 10 November in a fresh attempt to end the dispute, but talks have repeatedly failed since. It is now fairly clear that the service will, as rumoured, be pushed back to 2016.
RTM has contacted the TSSA union for comment but has not heard back yet.
(Top image c. Tim Ireland/PA Images)