Thank you for having your say, there has been a real groundswell from Managers in various Train Operating Companies with a desire to have a voice within the companies that they work. With major changes to the industry coming in the near future through the formation of Great British Railways and the government plans to bring Train Operating Companies back into public control with no clear steer on the detail of the over all change or the impact on Staff now is the time for your colleagues to join TSSA. You can help with this by explaining the benefits of joining a trade union and how if we get a majority (50%+1) of TSSA members within a job role, grouping of job roles or department that would make an effective bargaining unit then they can have the right to elect their won TSSA representatives who can push for improvements in their area.
In TPE where we won collective bargaining for Revenue Protection Managers last year and have introduced a Rest Day work payment scheme that sees them receiving enhanced pay for working rest days, something that they never previously received. We also have trained and dedicated reps who can advice and represent their colleagues' both collectively and individually.
Since winning collective bargaining in GWR Control we have done the following and more:
* Built up a team of representatives that are trained and able to be a conduit between members and the company to raise your issues and concerns in order to win improvements
* Introduced Minimum Rates of pay that are clearly transparent for roles that were introduced through a reorganisation, and we are in talks to find a mechanism in order to introduce pay progression within a role
* Got agreement that clauses about minimum commitments for Rest Day Working without receiving payment wont be invoked
* Widened out Rest Day Work payments to Managers within the function who didn't previously receive them (AOM's etc)
* Agreed rostering principles
* identified that the company hadn't correctly uplifted the RDW payments and have managed to receive backdated monies for our members going back to 2018
These changes haven't been won easily and they are not guaranteed even with collective bargaining but they are a clear demonstration that we will fight to get improved terms and conditions for members if they join. Arguably it is easier to achieve these things with a strong density of membership so the more members we have the stronger we are which is why perhaps we have been able to win so much in such a short space of time as the company are aware of our strength in membership density. Please encourage your colleagues to join at www.tssa.org.uk/join
We have aspirations to make managers working lives better and are open to hear form members on their aspirations but none of that is possible without collective bargaining which also ensures that you are at least consulted on things like organisation change and TUPE transfers if that happens in the future.
