Exclusive...
LUL PLANS REVEALED!
Company Plan Mark II
Management are planning to declare war on tube workers.
Transport Commissioner and the Mayor of London both
recently announced the need to make 5bn Savings across
TfL. LUL’s response has been to act immediately and
attack our jobs and conditions. Be under no illusions – the
attacks will be savage.
Acting Manager Director, Richard Parry argued:
“The economic downturn means that we now have to approach this
challenge with a keener focus and a greater urgency...Over the coming
months we will be… identifying areas where we can change. We will
not make changes which would risk the quality of our customer service,
or of course the safety of the railway, particularly now that we are
achieving record levels of performance”.
Without delay, management have arranged a team
to look at ways to make cuts and attack our jobs. This is
merely the first step to restructure our jobs on a scale akin
to Company Plan in 1992. Back then, across the board,
staff were forced to re-apply for their jobs and sign up to
new contracts on worse terms and conditions. The memory
of Company Plan lingers on the job which is why
management don’t like the term. Instead, this time round
they've imaginatively called it a ‘Full Operational Review’.
The current economic recession is being used in an
attempt to have us pay for the crisis caused by the banks
and the fat cats. However, it is also an acceleration of what
management have been planning for some time.
The restructure is not too dis-similar to the attacks
on the postal service and in BA (and who's just returned to
LU from BA? – none other than smiley Mike Brown!).
Indeed, there has been collusion between employers,
trading ideas on how best to attack our jobs and conditions.
Employers and Bankers collude to take us on
In October 2007, Gerry Duffy, LU’s Director of Employee
Relations, addressed a “Labour Relations Seminar”
conference of employers organised by Eversheds, an
international law firm who specialise in union busting.
Duffy’s audience that day included senior figures lawyers
and employee relations people from Royal Mail Group,
currently engaged in attacking postal workers; the Director
of Employee Relations at TNT UK Ltd, (TNT stands to
benefit from the break up of the Royal Mail); and HR
across the unions ... across the grades ... across the tracks ...
Managers from Rolls Royce, Barclays Bank, Abbey
National, Capita Group, Virgin Atlantic, Bombardier and
many others.
Duffy’s power-point presentation makes very
interesting reading. In it he explains that LU suffered from
‘one-sided industrial “peace”’ arguing that management
were weak in negotiation and had no strategy. He marks
2004 as a turning point noting ‘strategic imperatives’ as
multi-year [pay] deals which ‘buy LU time’; strengthening
negotiating skills where they make “no concessions”; “self-
funding changes” and “change(s) behaviours”.
He argues that there has to be a greater direct
approach to staff (i.e. by-passing unions – valuing time etc).
Among the unions, LU have a strategy to build ‘informal
networks’; build “relationships with General Secretaries”
Perhaps that’s why Aslef boss Keith Norman told his
members to cross the RMT’s picket lines on the last strike.
Fortunately, many Aslef drivers thought that was bollocks,
and struck with the RMT anyway.
Finally, Duffy argues that from 2004 LUL have
been ‘winning the strikes’ and that more change is to come
('Safety', '2012', 'Pensions'): Let’s be clear, whilst the
recession is being used by employers to have workers pay
for their crisis, it has also accelerated an agenda from the
employing class that was already in place. The collusion
between different employers is clear and needs to be
resisted across our class.
Balance of Forces
We are facing a major shake up and we need to organise
now to resist. Get the word out – they're out to get your
job. And, we have to be honest. The balance of forces
between us and management are fairly well matched with
their side holding a clear strategy. Our side has gone from
industrial victories, to diminishing returns and now, if we
were to be generous, a score draw over pay. The obvious
exception was the fantastic action we took when Metronet
collapsed in 2007. Alas, we didn't build and extend on that
action beyond the engineering sector. If we are to tip the
balance in our favour we need a clear, all grades, industrial
strategy that views all the attacks we presently face as facets
of the whole. We keep the Capital running - We can also
bring it to a standstill. We have work to do - let’s get to it.
 WHAT MAKES A COMPANY PLAN?
Job cuts
There will be no frontline job cuts – my arse! Management are deliberately leaving vacancies open, and in doing so,
saving millions. Let’s be clear, unfilled vacancies caused by retirement, promotion, etc. are job cuts. Further, there
seems to be an unwritten rule that anyone who goes to a CDI will be sacked whatever the defence and that position
isn’t filled either. Furthermore, if you go on a career break you’re very unlikely to come back – and yes, you got it, that
vacancy won’t be filled either. This is the case across the board, stations, signals, service control, engineering, fleet etc.
The additional impact is to freeze the current workforce, no movements, no promotions and over a period of time
(and not that long a time at that) a significantly contracted workforce as the ladder is pulled up from new entrants as
unemployment rises.
Imposition of Rosters and breaches of Agreements
As the workforce contracts and in preparation, management will also look to changing/imposing new rosters.
Alongside management’s attempts to demand what hours you work, when they like, they will also necessarily breach
framework agreements. This is currently the subject of a major dispute among our members under the Signals
Framework Agreement.
Closures
Management are looking at a programme for Ticket Office closures across the board with key Central London
locations excepted (though their turn will eventually come too if LUL get their way).
Restructure
Take management’s review of station groups for instance; they’re looking at clumping all section 12 stations together
as a prelude to shafting the open section stations. They’re also looking at bringing back line cover. No doubt they'll be
looking to re-introduce old ideas previously knocked back like 'remote monitoring' and 'mobile supervision'. The
current re-organisation among management grades (DMT, DSM's etc) is part of this structural change.
De-Skilling and Multi-Tasking
Back in 2006 management imposed the new ‘rule book’ - this replaced the Working Reference Manual. As we said at
the time, the rule books are nothing of the sort. They contain no rules, just guidelines, permitting managers to ‘make
things up as they go along’. Their next step is to do away with Safety Critical licensing by April 2010. Coupled with
the rule books, this lays the foundation for a fundamental restructure of our job. They expect generalised competency
to replace safety critical licensing. As a complimentary system to licensing, there’s nothing wrong with competency,
but as a replacement it opens the door to multi-skilling/tasking and massive job cuts i.e. one person doing the job of
three etc. It also allows the future use of agency staff at a pittance of our pay and conditions won over the years.
Cuts in Safety
Always a favourite! Attempts at further cuts in safety will be inevitable as the recent dangerous proposed cuts in track
patrols on the JLE illustrate.
Bullying/Intimidation and union bashing
In preparation for their assault management will step up their bullying of staff and begin their obligatory attack on
trade union reps and anyone who stands up for their rights, stitching people up for any minor issue (email ‘abuse’
seems to be bit of a favourite at the moment!). Furthermore, management will take advantage of any differences
between the unions in order to divide and conquer. Duffy makes clear in his 2007 power-point presentation that the
unions are “still too militant”. Taking on the unions, smashing or neutering us, will be a key LU objective.
The end of PPP... And more job cuts!
And of course, the disaster that was Metronet will look like a tea party when cash-strapped Tube Lines comes
crashing down this year raising the spectre of further job losses and the ‘Jobs for Life’ deal raises its ugly head again.
And, all this BEFORE any redundancies are announced!
Across The Tracks
The Rank & File paper for Tube and Rail workers

Organise now to resist the attacks

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Contact: 07958 124 225

...it’s not what union you’re in ... it’s what side you’re on...