RMT hits back at South West Trains’ “Olympic lies”

www.rmt.org.uk

NEWS RELEASE

June 15, 2012

RMT hits back at South West Trains’ “Olympic lies”

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST rail union hit back today against “Olympic lies” being told by South West Trains after the company reneged on a “business as usual” promise over the games.

RMT is preparing to ballot its members at the company for industrial action after the company attempted to impose extra workloads, new rosters and a ban on leave despite a promise attached to last year’s pay agreement that the Olympics would mean “minimal” extra work.

The company has since admitted that at least 80,000 extra passengers a day are expected to pass through Waterloo, has timetabled substantial extra services and later running, has leased extra rolling stock, and has begun turning down requests for leave during the games.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said:

“South West Trains made a promise attached to last year’s pay deal that there would be minimal change for the workforce during the games and this has turned out to be completely false.

“We now know that every grade at the company faces substantially increased workloads and the prospect of enforced extra hours and leave requests being turned down, and that means that the company has reneged on last year’s deal.

“The company’s latest bulletin to staff, issued after yesterday’s talks, is a work of fiction that our negotiating team does not recognise.

“Rather than spread these Olympic lies, the company should be sitting down with us to negotiate a fair deal for SWT staff that recognises the substantial additional burden they will face, just as other train-operating companies have already done.”

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