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National Head Office news and correspondence will appear below.

Union says ‘Take Network Rail fines out of managers' bonuses'

30 Mar 2007

ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman today called for fines imposed on Railtrack/Network Rail to be taken from the bonuses of senior managers. The company was fined £4 million for the irresponsibility that led to the Ladbroke Grove rail disaster, in which 31 people were killed, 227 people were hospitalised and a further 296 people were treated at the site of the crash.

‘If the managers are not fined personally, it means the fines will be paid by the public,’ he said. ‘This would be a terrible injustice to passengers who would end up having to pay for being killed, maimed and injured.’

Keith points out that Network Rail is funded by the taxpayer. It then collects access charges from operating companies and says that any profits ‘go straight back into improving the railway’.

‘That’s not quite true,’ Keith says. ‘A considerable amount goes to paying salaries. In 2006 this included £504,000 for Chairman John Armitt, £450,000 for Iain Coucher and £335,750 each for Peter and Ron Henderson.

‘And then there are the bonuses for efficiency – Mr Armitt received a £352,720 bonus last year - and this time it is expected he will pocket in excess of £400,000.’

Keith says that the £4 million will simply go on a ‘cruel merry-go-round’.

‘The fine imposed will come out of company funds and be paid to the government – that effectively owns the company!

‘So the only people to suffer from the fine will be the travelling public – because the fine will mean that the company has less to spend on the rail infrastructure of this country.

‘In short – they make literally fatal mistakes – and you suffer for it.’

Keith Norman says this is clearly unjust and argues, ‘The obvious thing would be to insist that the money for the fine does not lessen the amount available for rail infrastructure. It should, in my view, come from funds that were not going to be used for this purpose.

‘I propose that it is taken from the bonuses that are being paid to board members.

‘If they can’t live on salaries approaching half a million pounds a year they should make way for people who can.

‘No bonuses should be contemplated until the whole amount of the fine has been repaid from this source.’

Keith also insists that the case underlines the urgent need for legislation on corporate manslaughter that has real teeth and will act as a serious deterrent to those who fail to conform to established safety regulations.

www.aslef.org.uk/information/104459/union_says__take_network_rail_fines_out_of_manager/

ASLEF SQUASHES INTO LONDON BRIDGE!

13 Mar 2007

ASLEF celebrated International Safety Day today by drawing attention to its ‘Squash’ campaign at London Bridge station in London. National executive members, regional representatives and members of the union’s Southeast region distributed leaflets and stickers on and around the forecourt. They were joined by Eddie Dickson, representing the International Transport Federation.

Squash is the union’s campaign to secure for its train driver members cabs that are Safe, Quiet, User-friendly, Air-conditioned, Specially seated and Healthy (SQUASH).

ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman says, ‘No matter how hard a driver tries, it is impossible to maintain necessary levels of concentration in a cab that lacks basic facilities like air conditioning.’ The union says some drivers’ cabs are ‘clearly not fit for purpose.’

Campaigners at the stations today represented each of the points the union is raising in its ‘Squash’ campaign.

‘The union points to ‘conclusive evidence’ from Rail Safety and Standards Board reports from July 2006 which showed that high temperatures increased potential hazards on the line (SPADs) by a massive 62%. ‘Had the cabs been fitted with modern air cooling systems, this could have been avoided,’ said Keith Norman.

Eddie Dickson offered the ITF’s full support for the Squash initiative on the grounds that it was not only a valid industrial claim, but also a significant improvement to rail safety



These are a few extracts from letters from the experts – train drivers themselves – to the ASLEF Journal over the past few months …

'The cab temperature peaked at 39.4 C and it never went below 38.5 C during the entire duty'

'We were working underground in places where the average air temperature was 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the tunnel - so god only knows what it reached in our tin boxes!'

'Our cabs feature tip-up seats without any adjustment whatsoever.'

'Water began coming in the roof panels on each side above the doors -it was running into the power brake control system.'

'How long do we have to wait before excessive heat leads to someone passing out at the controls of a 1,500 ton train at 75 mph?'

'High pitched whistling from the vestibule door.'

'Drivers are failing medicals because of hearing loss … we've complained to everyone we can about noise.'

'In winter we freeze because the cab heater fails to overcome the chilly draughts.'

14 February 2007

TO: ALL BRANCHES AND REPS, SOUTH EAST TRAINS


Fellow Members,

CONSIDERATION TO A REPORT FROM MR G MORRIS, DISTRICT ORGANISER, DISTRICT NO.1 AND THE SOUTH EAST TRAINS COMPANY COUNCIL RE COMMENTARY DRIVING

The report from the District Organiser and Company Council before the Executive Committee in relation to EC Resolution 009/436 and correspondence from Gillingham Branch explains that the matter has now been resolved. The concerns raised by the Gillingham Branch had been in relation to the Company’s imposition of the Commentary Driving Policy and its compulsory use. This has now been withdrawn and it is agreed that this policy is not mandatory but voluntary in line with ASLEF policy. The Executive Committee were of the view that the proposals are acceptable and our negotiating team should be thanked for their work and the following resolution was adopted;

125/436 “That the report be noted and the General Secretary be instructed to advise Mr G Morris, District Organiser, District No.1 that the proposed South East Trains ‘Commentary Driving Policy’ is acceptable on the proviso that it remains completely voluntary.

Further, that Mr G Morris, District Organiser, District No.1 and the South East Trains Company Council be thanked for their work in bringing this matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

All branches and reps, South East Trains be advised.

Branch Secretary, Gillingham Branch be advised.”

Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of your members

Yours fraternally

Keith Norman
General Secretary

More carriages – but ‘bizarre funding’ says union

15 Mar 2007

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander has announced that the government is to provide extra funding to private rail firms to finance an additional 1,000 train carriages in a bid to combat overcrowding. Keith Norman today responded by saying, ‘Of course I welcome any positive action to tackle overcrowding – but the way it is to be financed is frankly bizarre.

‘The train companies took a contract to run a service, but now realise that they do not have sufficient carriages to do it. So the government bails them out of the problem by subsidising the extra carriages using public money.

‘This is remarkable for three reasons. Firstly, why should any private company be subsidised for failing to meet standards it agreed to meet in its franchise contracts? Secondly, if the government can subsidise firms why can’t it provide money to pay for union demands – like pensions – instead of saying that it can’t interfere with private companies? And thirdly, if the government is happy to subsidise private firms to run the rail network why doesn’t it take it back into public hands and do the job properly?’

The carriages the government is purchasing for the private companies will be used to lengthen trains on the most overcrowded parts of the network in major cities across England and Wales. They will be in use in seven years time. The government will pay for the newly-built carriages and then lease them to the train companies.

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