This morning ASLEF received the attached letter on pay and conditions from London Underground.
I'm not going to comment on the disappointing timing of this letter apart from saying that wages and conditions are not what our members or reps are focused on right now. They are focussed on keeping a public service running.
I have personally spoken to people who have taken the decision to leave potentially vulnerable family members at home because they want to play their part in making sure that nurses, doctors, council and shop workers can get around during this crises.
ASLEF will consider this letter and respond when we have had time to do so.
Dear Mick,
RE: LET174 – London Underground Pay and Conditions 2019
I’m writing following our most recent meeting facilitated by ACAS on 10 March 2020. At the meeting we heard feedback from all of the trade unions, and whilst there were a range of views, there were some consistent themes echoed by all. In particular the need for certainty, and a requirement for above RPI pay increases in each year of any deal. As a result, although we were once again clear that there was no more money available to allocate to pay awards, we were able to revise the pay-only offer to include a minimum guaranteed increase of 2% in year four of the deal. Despite this, you indicated that you were not able to accept the deal.
Since that meeting you’ll be aware that significant progress has been made at Trains Functional Council regarding Boxing Day payments for Train Operators, and I am happy to reiterate our commitment to further discussions in this forum regarding future productivity-based benefits for Train Operators.
During the course of our negotiations over the past year we have been very clear with you regarding the financial challenges and the economic uncertainty we continue to face. Since we last met it has become increasingly apparent that, in Covid-19, we are facing the most serious world health crisis for generations, and whilst the full implications are yet to be become clear, the impact on our people, customers and business will be unprecedented.
Already we have seen significant reductions in the numbers of customers using our network, which is having a significant consequent impact on our revenues. We are also facing increased costs through enhancements to our cleaning regimes which are focussed on ensuring the safety of our people and customers. At the same time, we have taken decisive action to protect the income of our people, and where possible support those in our supply chain, where they are impacted by Covid-19. All of this places, significant further pressure on the amount of money that we have available for any pay awards.
It’s imperative that all of our collective resources and efforts are now focussed on our response to this crisis and to do so we must bring our pay negotiations to a conclusion. With that in mind we are prepared to make a final revision to our pay-only offer, with the introduction of a guaranteed minimum increase of 1% in year three of the deal. All other elements of the full and final offer made in December 2019 remain unchanged.
In headline terms, this means:
Year One: RPI +0.2% (2.7%)
Year Two: RPI +0.2%
Year Three: RPI +0.2% (minimum increase 1%)
Year Four: RPI +0.2% (minimum increase 2%)
I need to be clear with you that there is no further money available, and that the financial challenges to our business are increasing on a daily basis. I also need to be clear there is no opportunity for any further negotiations on this issue.
This offer will remain open for acceptance until 5.00pm on Monday 23 March 2020. I urge you to accept the offer as this offer provides certainty to our people, including arranging payment of outstanding back pay, and together move forward in addressing the significant challenges facing us.
In the event that we cannot agree, we will need to consider the affordability of our proposals in light of the significant impact Covid-19 is having on our business.
Yours sincerely,
📷
Peter McNaught
Director of Operational Readiness
c/c Finn Brennan, Terry Wilkinson