CARLISLE CITY RMT

National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Carlisle City Branch (0299)
www.carlislecityrmt.org
Chair: Craig Johnston
From Mark Eilbeck – Branch Secretary
20, Duke Street, Carlisle, Cumbria CA2 5UL
Telephone – 07908 521 392

Minutes of the meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT held on the 2nd December 2008 at 19.00 hrs in the Kings Head, Fisher Street, Carlisle.

Members Present – Mark Eilbeck (Secretary) Craig Johnston (Chair) Donald Coupland, George Coulthard, Kevin Roach, Juan Guerrero, Chris Lawson

Apologies were received from Tony Carrigan, Peter Jeffery, Karl Norendal, Scott Nelson, Paul Ferry and Alan Johnson

Minutes of the meeting of the RMT Carlisle City Branch held at 19.00hrs on 4 November 2008 in the Kings Head, Fisher Street, Carlisle were Agreed.

Matters Arising – None

Letters from Head Office – Read and Noted – It was agreed to circulate correspondence on Staff travel facilities – Eurostar, PTR&R Arrangements, Network Rail CARE pension scheme, 2009 Health and safety conference, CESS paths and Network Rail Harmonisation to all Network Rail branch activists.

Letters from Regional Organisers – Read and Noted – it was agreed to write back to Ken Usher – RMT Lead Officer for Virgin Trains requesting information on when the Virgin Trains Mileage Allowance would be increased. The Branch to also ask the Regional Organiser for Northern Rail when PTR&R allowances for Northern Rail were last increased and when they will be increased again.

Resolutions – resolutions were carried on the following issues –

Network Rail CARE Pension Scheme
Shrewsbury Pickets
Manchester TIF bid
Collective Bargaining – Network Rail
Dave Hughes – Northern Rail
Elections Northern Rail Company Council
See attached letters to the General Secretary for the wording of resolutions

Grievances
Problems at Babcock Rail (Carnforth depot) in relation to holiday entitlement and application of flexible working – Craig Johnston to obtain a copy of the RMT Flexible Working guide for the staff involved and to write to North West RMT Regional Office requesting they become involved in resolving the issues surrounding the annual leave situation.

Any Other Business – Network Rail Signal Cleaning – it was agreed to write to the RMT Head Office expressing concern that cleaning of colour light signals was being reduced by Network Rail.

next meeting will be held in the Kings Head Pub, Fisher Street, Carlisle at 19.00hrs on Tuesday 6 January 2009

Resolutions -

4 December 2008
Dear Brother Crow

At the last meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT on 2 December 2008 the following resolution was carried –

“The members of Carlisle City Branch ask the General Grades Committee to take urgent action to defend the Railway pension Schemes (RPS).

Network Rail Members report that the company is aggressively pushing forward with the Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) pension scheme.

This scheme was not agreed with our Union.

All literature that has been circulated by the company has deliberately attacked the RPS final salary scheme arrangements.
The members at Network Rail need support in defending the RPS. Our Union must immediately distribute propaganda challenging Network Rails literature.

This Branch warns that any prevarication by the General Grades Committee will be unacceptable to the membership. Now is not the time for indecision.
The future of the Network Rail section of the RPS is at stake.
This is the beginning of an attack by all companies on their sections of the RPS. If the industry believes that Network Rails CARE is suitable for them, they will use it.
Now is the time for action.

We also instruct that this resolution is put before the Manchester and North West of England Regional Council of the RMT for their consideration and support.
This Branch asks that our resolution is placed on record, that the General Grades Committee give this resolution full consideration and informs this Branch of any decisions regarding this matter as soon as possible”

We look forward tom your reply,

Best Wishes,

Yours fraternally,


Mark Eilbeck Craig Johnston
Secretary – Carlisle City (0299) Branch Chair



4 December 2008
Dear Brother Crow

At the last meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT on 2 December 2008 the following resolution was carried –

“The members of Carlisle City Branch ask the General Grades Committee to offer full support to the Campaign to seek justice for the Shrewsbury pickets.

We ask that our Union offer whatever support is necessary to the campaign being organised to secure justice for Ricky Tomlinson, Des Warren and any other Trades Unionists affected by the states decision to imprison them for unlawful association and conspiracy. These comrades deserve full apologies and the correction of an unjust sentence.

This Branch suggests that all Branches and Regional Councils are provided with details of the campaign and encouraged to offer full support in whatever way they can.
4 December 2008
Dear Brother Crow

At the last meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT on 2 December 2008 the following resolution was carried –

“The members of Carlisle City Branch ask the General Grades Committee to offer full support to the campaign to reject the Manchester TIF bid.

We ask that our Union circulate propaganda to all members affected by the TIF bid advising them to vote no in the forthcoming referendum.

The proposals contained within the bid will not resolve the problems of congestion in the Greater Manchester or Manchester area. The bid will however result in a massive financial burden for tax payers in the region, introduce a charging scheme that will be reliant upon the use of private vehicles to raise revenues to pay for the scheme, deny poorer people the opportunity to use their vehicles at peak times, increase the profits for the private operators of the Greater Manchester public transport system, see rail services replaced with trams and is simply the wrong scheme.

However we must be clear that this Union is not opposed to schemes that assist with the end of reliance upon private vehicles as a means of transportation.

We also ask that this resolution is put before the Manchester and North West Regional Council of the RMT for their consideration and support.
This Branch asks that our resolution is placed on record, and that the General Grades Committee give this resolution full consideration and informs this Branch of any decisions regarding this matter as soon as possible”

We look forward to your reply,


Yours fraternally,


Mark Eilbeck Craig Johnston
Secretary – Carlisle City (0299) Branch Chair



This Branch asks that our resolution is placed on record, that the General Grades Committee give this resolution full consideration and informs this Branch of any decisions regarding this matter as soon as possible.”


We look forward to your reply,


Yours fraternally,


Mark Eilbeck Craig Johnston
Secretary – Carlisle City (0299) Branch Chair


National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Carlisle City Branch (0299)
www.carlislecityrmt.org
Chair: Craig Johnston
From Mark Eilbeck – Branch Secretary
20, Duke Street, Carlisle, Cumbria CA2 5UL
Telephone – 07908 521 392
Mr Bob Crow
General Secretary
RMT
Unity House
39 Chalton Street
London
NW1 1JD
4 December 2008
Dear Brother Crow

At the last meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT on 2 December 2008 the following resolution was carried –

“ The members of Carlisle City Branch ask the General Grades Committee to fully support the York and District Branch in its attempts to seek a change to the Network Rail collective bargaining procedure (projects, engineering and support functions).
We agree that now is the time to alter the procedure to afford the members affected better representation. Appendix three of the machinery has been subject to unilateral changes by the company through re-organisations. As a result projects, engineering and support functions should have its own National and Area Council arrangements.
We also support the idea that there are Trades Union co-ordinators. This Union should then ensure that there is a representative number of local level representatives to provide the members with an affective representation.
This Branch asks that our resolution is placed on record, that the General Grades Committee give this resolution full consideration and informs this Branch of any decisions regarding this matter as soon as possible”

We look forward to your reply,


Yours fraternally,


Mark Eilbeck Craig Johnston
Secretary – Carlisle City (0299) Branch Chair


4 December 2008
Dear Brother Crow

At the last meeting of the Carlisle City Branch of the RMT on 2 December 2008 the following resolution was carried –

“Carlisle City Branch note that it has been some time since the Northern Rail Conductors Company Council RMT Staff Side has been elected.
This Branch believes that the Company Council Elections for Northern Rail Conductors should be held as a matter of urgency and asks the General Grades Committee with the Regional Organiser to contact Northern Rail and activate these elections immediately”


We look forward to your reply,


Yours fraternally,


Mark Eilbeck Craig Johnston
Secretary – Carlisle City (0299) Branch Chair