RMT TO BALLOT TICKET OFFICE MEMBERS FOR STRIKE ACTION

Circular No: IR/209/08 Our Ref: BR2/15/4 4th September 2008 TO: ALL BRANCHES, REGIONAL COUNCILS & REGIONAL OFFICES Dear Colleague SOUTH WEST TRAINS – TICKET OFFICE CLOSURES NOTICE OF BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION I can confirm that RMT was at a meeting with South West Trains on the 14th August 2008 where we took the opportunity to make it perfectly clear to the company our total opposition to their plans to reduce ticket office opening times at over 100 stations and our insistence that current staffing levels are maintained. Regretfully management failed to give us the required assurances and completely dismissed the reports from Passenger Focus and London Travel Watch which supported our union and therefore as a consequence we are now in a dispute situation and will be balloting for strike action. I hereby relay the General Grades Committee’s decision on this matter in full. “That we note the latest report from our Lead Officer and the company’s continued insistence on implementing their full job cuts plan. We restate our rejection of all job losses and reduction or closure of ticket office windows and all booking offices. We therefore instruct the General Secretary to: 1) Write to the company informing them that we are now in dispute with them. 2) Instruct all our Local and Company Council Representatives to register failures to agree on all job cuts in the forthcoming consultation on the cuts at the multi window locations as outline in the Appendix to the Lead Officers report. 3) To conduct a ballot for strike action of all our South West Trains members in the Retail Grades covered by our Retail Company Council. An individual mailing to be sent to all our members concerned and all Branches, Reps and Regional Councils to be informed accordingly.” I am in the process of giving my attention to carrying out this decision in full and will report further in due course. Yours sincerely Bob Crow GENERAL SECRETARY