Report of Guards/Conductors Company Council Meeting held on Tuesday 10th February 2009 in Cardiff.
RMT Representatives: Steven Skelly (Cardiff Valleys), Roger Fowler (Cardiff Mainline), Dave Griffiths (Holyhead), Phil Large vice Jan Jones (Chester) & Jim Mills (Carmarthen).
ATW Management Representatives: Ian Bullock, James Widdowson & Lynne Milligan.
Apologies: Brendan Kelly RMT Regional Organiser & Jan Jones (Chester)
Matters Arsing From the Previous Meeting:
Engineering Diagrams
The Company Council informed ATW Management that despite their being some improvement on the problems reported at the previous meeting instances are still occurring where diagrams are not being presented to the Company Council Representatives for scutinisation prior to their implementation. The Company were in full agreement with the concerns of the Company Council and as a course of action it was agreed to invite Steve Baddock of Train Planning to the next Company Council meeting to directly address the concerns.
On Board RPA/ATE Grades
Following on from the RMT proposal at the previous meeting ATW management informed the Company Council that work had been undertaken to implement the proposal though this has been held up some what owing to ongoing negotiations with TSSA who represent the management grades whom will as a result of the proposal directly manage members within the grade.
Guards/Conductors Harmonisation
It was noted that progress had been made on both sides during informal discussions regarding the process and it was hoped that the Formal Harmonisation meeting to be held on Wednesday 25th February 2009 would produce further agreement to positively move the process forward.
Meeting Agenda Items:
Rostering Issues Chester Depot
Concern was raised by the Company Council that members based at Chester depot are expected to call the resources department when on booked long weekends to establish whether or not their booked turn of duty upon their return to duty has altered. It was the view that whilst this may be a practice adopted by the Driver Grade it is not a practice that the Conductor members wish to follow unless properly negotiated. The Company responded by stating that they appreciated the complaint and that at present such situations were a two way process. The Company further agreed to address the issue with Chris Millar Head of Resources/Drivers.
Turn Lengths Holyhead Depot
A request was made by the Company Council that consideration be given by the Company when producing future morning diagrams towards travelling times to and from the depot for certain individuals. It was a concern of the Company Council that the combined shift/travelling times could potentially be to the detriment of a member’s health thus the request. The Company responded by stating that they do make every effort to keep turn lengths at a reasonable level and welcomed any input from representatives which may provide improvements. However the Company wished to point out that all staff are informed of the shift patterns at interview stage.
Sunday Diagrams (Holyhead/Llandudno Junction)
The Company Council requested that for the May time table change that a more even spread of Sunday diagrams be allocated between the two depots. At present Holyhead has six turns compared to only one at Llandudno Junction. It was agreed by both parties that an exercise would be run by the Train Planning Department to ensure that a more even spread is achieved for the forthcoming time table change.
Arriva Trains Wales Intranet System
The Company Council was given a presentation of the new intranet system which has been developed by the companies IT department. The intention of the system is to allow easy access to a variety of company information and to be a useful resource for staff. The system is at present in its infancy and is in a sense evolving with feedback and suggestions to improve the system encouraged by the Company. It is the intention to install computer stations in all mess rooms/depots to allow access to the system though as yet installation dates are to be confirmed.
Avantix 2 Chip and Pin Upgrade
The Company informed the Company Council that they wished to enter into discussions with a view to implementing Chip and Pin technology within two to three months. It was agreed to defer the discussions to the formal harmonisation meeting to be held on 25th February 2009 to allow time for both parties to assess the request. Any agreement reached however would be subject to approval of both the RMT Lead Officer and RMT National Executive.
Reduction in LDC Representatives (Machynlleth Depot)
Concern was raised by the Company Council following a decision by the Company to reduce the number of representatives at the depot from two down to one. This Company based decision is contrary to the Collective Agreements which state that any reviews of LDC representatives require both discussion and agreement at Company Council level. It was agreed that as a result of the concerns raised that the status quo would remain at the depot and that should ATW management wish to review the representative numbers then an appropriate proposal would need to be submitted by the company.
Six Nations Rugby Internationals 2010
Both the Company Council and ATW Management expressed their concern as a result of proposals being considered by both the WRU and the BBC to hold international matches as late as 21.00hrs kick off in order to boost television ratings. The proposals could potentially lead to an increase in the anti social behaviour associated with match days experienced by members and could also prove to be a logistical nightmare for the Company. The Company have already taken steps to voice their disapproval to the plans in the form of letter of complaint to the BBC added to discussions at ATW Board Level and as a course of action from the Company Council it was agreed to write to RMT General Secretary Bob Crow to alert him to the plans and seek his assistance in whatever form possible.
Aberystwyth/London Services
The Company Council was informed that a bid from the Company to operate a direct service into London has been lodged with the The Office of the Rail Regulator and is currently subject to a consultation process. Should the consultation process be successfully concluded it is hoped to commence services at the earliest from December 2009.
IT Equipment Chester LDC Office
A request was made for appropriate computers/ internet access to be provided in the LDC Office at the depot. The request was agreed to by ATW Management and will be facilitated as soon as possible.
Next Company Council Meetings
The next meetings will be held on 12th May 2009 in Machynlleth and 11th August 2009 in Chester.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
Guards/Conductors Company Council Secretary
Report on Guards/Conductors Company Council Meetings held on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th November 2008 at Shrewsbury.
The meeting held on 6th November 2008 was the quarterly Company Council meeting and the meeting held on 7th November 2008 was solely to discuss the harmonisation of Guards/Conductors terms and conditions. RMT Representatives: Steven Skelly (Cardiff Valleys), Roger Fowler (Cardiff Mainline), Dave Griffiths (Holyhead), Jan Jones (Chester) & Jim Mills (Carmarthen). ATW Management Representatives: Ian Bullock, James Widdowson & Heather Hinkin. Meeting Agenda Items:
Company Council Meeting Minutes
The Company Council expressed concern at the delay in receiving minutes from relevant meetings and requested that in future the capability of e mail be utilised ensuring that minutes were signed off as a true record and then made available to both members and RMT branches at a more efficient rate than at present. The request was agreed to by ATW management with the final version to be agreed between the Head of Guards and the Company Council Secretary.
Flexible Working Regulations
Owing to the increasing number of applications for flexible working hours it was felt by the Company Council that an agreement/protocol should be reached in order to facilitate both representatives and members in successfully achieving such arrangements. ATW management responded by stating that they were in agreeance that such a policy would be of benefit to both the company and employees but that the policy would need to be relevant to all grades. It was agreed that a policy would be considered under the collective agreements review and that the company would look at a possible briefing for staff regarding the regulations and their potential implications.
Engineering Diagrams
The Company Council expressed their continuing concern that engineering diagrams are not being presented to the relevant company council representative prior to their implementation. ATW management agreed that the situation was unacceptable and would raise the matter with train planning as a matter of urgency.
Guards/Conductors Training Programmes
The Company Council requested that in future all new training programmes including STUD briefs be made available to either the Company Council or representative(s) of in order to allow feedback. ATW management responded by stating that they felt that the Company Council had made a valid point and that they would endeavour to ensure that in future the Company Council would be given early access to any training programmes including STUD briefings. It was agreed that a DVD of the latest STUD brief would be provided also.
On Board RPA/ATE Grades
The Company Council proposed that all on board RPA/ATE employees based mainly at the Treherbert, Rhymney and Cardiff depots are re organised in terms of collective bargaining into the Guards/Conductors Company Council as opposed to the current Station Staff Company Council to which they are covered. It was felt that such a move would make organisational and representational sense for both the RMT and ATW as minus the safety aspect there are many similarities with the roles. ATW management responded by stating that they felt that the proposal was positive and they would make further enquiries and report back accordingly.
Trade Union Release
The Company Council raised the matter following a ‘fail to agree’ at local level in relation to complications being experienced gaining release to attend courses, rest periods prior to courses and the inflexibility of the company to allow representatives to move rest days when there is a clash with a course day. ATW management responded by stating that there was no clear policy regarding the issue and that problems had also been experienced within other grades and as a result the matter should be tabled as an agenda item at the next All Grades Company Council meeting.
Loss of First Great Western Work
ATW management informed the Company Council that as a result of the removal of the First Great Western work there would be a reduction in the depot compliment at Cardiff Main Line as of December 2008. The company were keen to stress that there would be no compulsory redundancies but there would be a temporary surplus of staff. A request was made by management that four Main Line Conductors recently transferred from Cardiff Valleys be utilised to reduce rest day working on Cardiff Valleys when required subject to agreement by the Company Council. The Company Council though expressing reservations regarding the request agreed to discuss the matter with the members concerned and respond to the proposal accordingly.
Age Discrimination Legislation
A presentation was made to the Company Council by ATW management regarding the implications of the legislation.
Guards/Conductors Harmonisation
A further meeting was held on Friday 7th November 2008 to discuss the outstanding harmonisation of Guards/Conductors terms and conditions. The talks at this stage are at an informal level but it is anticipated that these talks will in the early new year move to a more formal level involving both the H.R. Director and RMT Regional Organiser. At this stage it would be inappropriate to reveal details of the negotiations to date but the Company Council has made it clear to the company that we are committed to doing as much as possible to deliver harmonisation whilst not to the detriment of existing terms and conditions. The Company Council are currently looking into the feasibility of producing a questionnaire/survey to gain members opinions as to the priorities of harmonisation as we are extremely keen to involve members as much as possible during every stage of the negotiations.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
Guards/Conductors Company Council Secretary
Avantix Machine Upgrade
Would all members please note that the current Avantix machines will shortly be upgraded in order to improve on the technical problems currently being reported by operators.
The main change involves the use of the Avantix mark 2 PDA computer which encompasses infa red connectivity with the printer which it is hoped will greatly reduce the number of ticket/printer disconnect failures. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE AVANTIX UPGRADE AND WILL NOT INCLUDE A CHIP AND PIN FACILITY.
The updated machines will be introduced at depot's on the following dates:
Rhymney -Tuesday 18th November 2008
Treherbert -Tuesday 25th November 2008
Cardiff -Tuesday 16th Wednesday 17th December 2008
The machine upgrades do not involve any change to our existing work practices and in fact seek to alleviate many of the problems reported by members and as such the RMT Guards/Conductors Company Council has no objections to the upgrade.
If you have any further questions regarding the matter then please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
RMT Guards/Conductors Company Council Secretary
Report on Guard/Conductors Company Council Meeting held on Wednesday 8th October 2008 in Cardiff
Guards/Conductors Harmonisation
Following a request from RMT Company Council representatives informal talks were held with Arriva Trains Wales management with a view to moving on the process of harmonisation of ATW Guards/Conductors terms and conditions of which there has been no significant progress since the Stage 1 of harmonisation which was completed in late 2005.
At the meeting the RMT presented its aspirations for the process as did ATW management and discussion took place accordingly around these aspirations. At this stage it would be inappropriate to reveal the exact details of the discussions however as the negotiations advance we shall keep members advised of developments.
Although from the meeting it was clear that the harmonisation process will be difficult owing to the differing aspirations of both the RMT and ATW both sides seem to have a willingness to commit to meaningful talks around the issue and as a result a further meeting has been convened for early November 2008.
The Company Council is fully aware that harmonisation is an important issue for our members and we committed to doing as much as possible towards achieving that goal whilst ensuring that it is not to the detriment of any section of the grade. We intend to involve members as much as possible in the process and in the near future will be looking to produce a survey to gauge members opinions on the issue as well as the more traditional methods i.e. branch meetings etc.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
RMT Guards/Conductors Company Council Secretary
Report on Guards/Conductors Company Council Meeting held on Wednesday 20th August 2008 at Shrewsbury
RMT Representatives: Steven Skelly, Roger Fowler, Jan Jones, Dave Griffiths and Meirion Evans.
ATW Management Representatives: Ian Bullock and James Widdowson.
Apologies: Jim Mills and Heather Hinkin.
Agenda Items
ATW Management opened the meeting by welcoming all new present and extending a further welcome to all the newly elected Company Council Representatives.
Company Council Chair and Secretary
The Company Council informed management that Dave Griffiths had been elected as Chair and Steven Skelly elected Secretary respectively of the new Company Council. It was agreed by all present that for future meetings all agenda items from the staff side will be submitted through the Secretary
December 2008-09 Establishments
The proposed establishments were outlined by management:
The Company Council responded by raising concerns regarding the fluctuations of depot establishments with particular reference to Cardiff Mainline. ATW Management took on board the comments explaining that the current proposals were to ensure the most efficient use of staff but agreed that there was a need to work towards maintaining continuity at all depots.
Working Weeks- It was agreed following discussion that working weeks and their corresponding annual leave allocations will be agreed at Company Council level no later than 1st September prior to the relevant year. If no discussion takes place prior to this deadline then the status quo will apply for the following year.
Annual Leave- It was agreed that annual leave allocations will be agreed at Company Council level no later than 1st September for the next calendar year. If no discussion takes place prior to this deadline then the status quo will apply for the following year.
The depot establishments for December 2008 were agreed by the Company Council.
December 2008 Diagrams
It was brought to the attention of management that diagrams had not as yet been made fully available to the Company Council for scrutinising. Management responded by stating that they would request that train planning release the diagrams to the Company Council.
TUC Stage 2 Union Rep Courses
Following discussion regarding the above the company was supportive of requests for release for representatives to attend courses following feedback from the Company Council who informed the company of the benefits of the additional training. The company requested that all be mindful of the resource capabilities when requesting such release to which the Company Council agreed.
Staff Representatives Dress Code
ATW Management informed the Company Council that the matter was tabled as an agenda item following complaints from an individual member of staff. The company was keen to stress that the complaint was made against one individual but felt it necessary to bring the matter to their attention.
The Company Council responded by stating that a recommended dress code for Guards/Conductors Representatives when attending meetings had recently been agreed and would be circulated to all LDC, and Health & Safety Representatives by the Secretary. When carrying out regular staff representatives duties the Company Council recommended adhering to the ATW Uniform Policy.
The Company Council thanked management for authorising release for the recent staff side meeting held to discuss proposals to move the issue forward and hopefully conclude the process. Company Council informed management that they wished to enter into meaningful discussions regarding the issue as they felt that harmonisation of the grade was of benefit to all parties and requested a meeting with management to discuss the proposals so far. ATW management agreed to the request and a meeting was convened for Wednesday 8th October 2008 in Cardiff. In addition any documentation on discussions thus far will be forwarded to the Secretary by the company.
Linking Arrangements for December 2008
It was agreed that CardiffValleys despite having a compliment of 109 would link 112 lines of work and Cardiff Main line would link 104 lines of work despite a 103 compliment. The difference is necessary for both depots to maintain the current rest day week pattern.
Guards/Conductors Harmonisation
It was agreed by management that the Company Council would be released from duty as soon as possible following receipt of the diagrams to carry out the relevant diagram checks.
Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next quarterly meeting will be held at Llandudno Junction on Thursday 6th November 2008. It was requested by the Company Council that the meetings be alternated around the depots so that members can be afforded a greater opportunity to see the Company Council at work.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
Guards/Conductors Company Council Secretary
Report on meeting held with Arriva Trains Wales Revenue Protection Inspector Ann Mari Andrews held on Thursday 3rd July 2008.
I attended the above mentioned meeting held at Pontypridd Station following a request from Ann Mari Andrews ATW Revenue Protection Inspector to discuss and evaluate the current working conditions between both Guards and Revenue Protection Assistants formerly classed as Assistant Ticket Examiners (ATE).
On the whole I found the meeting which was my first in the capacity of RMT Guards Company Council Representative to be a positive meeting with the following issues discussed and agreements reached:
Refusal of Guards to allow RPA’s to conduct Revenue Duties
It was brought to my attention that a small minority of Guards are refusing to allow RPA’s to conduct revenue duties on services that the RPA is booked to work. Management were keen to stress that it was a small minority of Guards involved in such alleged instances which have been reported by RPA’s.
I have to say that I was disappointed to hear of such reports as I feel that it is of equal importance that the role of the RPA is not undermined in any way just as it is of vital importance to protect the role of the Guard. RPA’s roles are very much revenue driven and such instances as reported will only lead to reduced revenue incomes for the RPA’s and could potentially put the viability of our RPA members positions at risk.
I would respectfully request that all Guard members take this into consideration when RPA’s booked services coincide with that of the Guard member. It is not a case of a Guard being unable to take revenue in such cases however it is important to show consideration to our RPA members.
I will issue a notice to this effect to be displayed around the depots in due course.
RPA’s On Train Movement Sheets
I expressed to management my concern regarding the introduction of the mentioned sheets which require the RPA to obtain a signature from the Guard working the RPA’s booked service to verify that the RPA has been in attendance.
In principle I was not against the introduction of the sheets as I was aware that they had been agreed by RMT Company Council Representative Brother Dave Bell whom represents our RPA’s members however the main area for concern that I had as Guards Company Council Representative was the lack of any form of briefing from management regarding the introduction of the sheets with little or no clarification as to the level of responsibility being undertaken by our members when they sign the movement sheets.
I decided prior to the meeting to issue an e mail to gauge the opinions of members regarding this issue and whilst I received a variety of opinions regarding the issue the majority of members were not against the issue providing that clarity regarding the level of responsibility was provided.
Management took onboard the criticism that I gave in relation to the issue and informed me that a briefing had know been incorporated into the latest STUD briefing and agreed to issue an official ATW circular. Management have given me an assurance that there is no level of responsibility being extended to the Guard other than to verify that the RPA has been in attendance. This assurance will be given via the STUD brief and Circular.
The movement sheets are at present on trial until 31st August 2008 and it was after receiving these assurances that I agreed to Guard members signing these sheets until the end of the trial at which time the effectiveness of the sheets and implications to our Guards members can be evaluated before entering into a more long term agreement.
A further meeting will be held in early September in relation to the movement sheets and I would very much appreciate any feedback that you have in order that I can properly convey the views of the majority of the membership.
RPA Diagram Turns of Duty
I informed management that I did not feel at present that RPA diagrams are being utilised to their full potential. This has a detrimental effect on our Guard members whom are often subjected to complaints and in certain cases verbal assaults from irate passengers who are unable to purchase tickets on busy services despite the best efforts of the Guard working the given train.
I suggested that I would like to see in future more consultation with Guards Reps prior to the implementation of new RPA Diagrams to take ensure that such problem areas as highlighted are kept to a minimum.
Management were happy to agree to this request and a further meeting has been convened during August to discuss diagram issues. Obviously any proposals submitted will be subject to establishment capabilities but I have received an assurance that any such proposals will be considered.
I would be grateful therefore if you have any suggestions as services that you would like to see covered by RPA diagrams that you inform me either via e mail or in writing.
Yours Fraternally
Steven Skelly
Guards Company Council Representative (Elect)