VLADIVOSTOK, July 18 (Itar-Tass) — The legality of the use of ships that are more than 30 years old will be checked in Russia’s Far East. Many of them with Russian crews are working at sea under the flags of convenience and belong to foreign ship owners. “Russian sailors that are sent to work on foreign vessels, must be reliably protected both by Russian law and international conventions, including on the safety of navigation,” Chairman of the Far Eastern Regional Organisation of the Seafarers’ Union of Russia (SUR) Nikolai Sukhanov said on the results of a week-long campaign of fighting against the flags of convenience.

He noted that during the campaign 24 such vessels in the ports of the Pacific coast of Russia, Japan and South Korea were checked. Only one of them had a properly issued collective agreement, approved by the International Transport Workers’ Federation. There were violations of the labour conditions, wage payment delays, low wages at other vessels. Thanks to prompt action taken by the SUR Far Eastern Regional Organisation with the help of courts, the issues of wage arrears were solved for many sailors.

In the port of Nakhodka, where the SUR Far Eastern Regional Organisation is based, there are 12 ships under the flags of convenience under arrest. Fleet workers have been living in poverty on them for already two-three months, including 22 Indonesian seafarers and fishermen. Experts of the Far Eastern Regional Organisation of the SUR have made a decision to settle the problem of their repatriation back home and involve in these efforts the Indonesian Seafarers’ Union, the Embassy of Indonesia in Moscow and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The term flag of convenience describes the business practice of registering a merchant ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners, and flying that state's civil ensign on the ship. Ships are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs or avoid the regulations of the owner's country. The closely-related term open registry is used to describe an organization that will register ships owned by foreign entities. The term “flag of convenience” has been in use since the 1950s and refers to the civil ensign a ship flies to indicate its country of registration or flag state. A ship operates under the laws of its flag state, and these laws are used if the ship is involved in an admiralty case.

The modern practice of flagging ships in foreign countries began in the 1920s in the United States, when ship owners frustrated by increased regulations and rising labour costs began to register their ships to Panama. The use of flags of convenience steadily increased, and in 1968, Liberia grew to surpass the United Kingdom as the world's largest shipping register. As of 2009, more than half of the world’s merchant ships were registered under flags of convenience, and the Panamanian, Liberian, and Marshallese flags of convenience account for almost 40 percent of the entire world fleet, in terms of deadweight tonnage.

Flag-of-convenience registries are often criticised. As of 2009, thirteen flag states have been found by international shipping organisations to have substandard regulations. A basis for many criticisms is that the flag-of-convenience system allows ship owners to be legally anonymous and difficult to prosecute in civil and criminal actions. Ships with flags of convenience have been found engaging in crime and terrorism, frequently offer substandard working conditions, and negatively impact the environment, primarily through illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In 2009, ships of thirteen flags of convenience were targeted for special enforcement by countries that they visit. Supporters of the practice, however, point to economic and regulatory advantages, and increased freedom in choosing employees from an international labour pool.

 

 

 

 

 

FROM THE HANDY SHIPPING GUIDE (UK):

 

 

 

 

***Air Carriers Threatened By Union Intervention

18 July 2011

 

 

 

 

FROM REBANADAS DE REALIDAD (ARGENTINA):

 

 

***Oneworld unions offer employers 'partnership in building alliance future'

Informaciones de la ITF editadas en Rebanadas: Rebanadas de Realidad - ITF, Londres, 18/07/11.- A new body representing workers in oneworld alliance airlines today made its first move by offering a constructive partnership between trade unions and management on problem-solving and negotiation. The One World of Labour Council - which was formed in April by unions affiliated to the ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) and with members working across the alliance - made the offer in a letter to the CEOs of each of oneworld's 12 member airlines. In it, the Council's coordinator, John M Conley, says: "I am writing to you to introduce the One World of Labour Council, a global group that comprises trade unions representing workers across the oneworld alliance member airlines. "The aneworld airlines are operating increasingly as if they have a de facto merger, and this alliance on the part of our employers has caused us to forge even closer working relationships. The One World of Labour Council was established within the International Transport Workers' Federation, a Global Union Federation of 780 transport trade unions which collectively represent over 4.6 million workers worldwide, to strengthen collaboration, information sharing, joint planning and actions on issues of common concern to our members. "The Labour Council met recently in Madrid, where its members reaffirmed their commitment to acting in unity and becoming an effective counterpart to the employers in the oneworld alliance. "We see ourselves as your partners in building a world class oneworld alliance that maintains high standards with regard to safety, customer care and employment conditions, and that strengthens its position through quality service and professionalism rather than by pursuing a futile and destructive strategy of labour cost competition. "At present, industrial relations are clearly strained in a number of airlines within the oneworld group and our unions have pledged to support each other during these challenging times. Nevertheless, we wish to express our commitment to problem-solving and negotiating in good faith with those among our management counterparts who are wiling to do the same. To this end, the Labour Council would like to invite you and your fellow leaders within oneworld to open channels of communication with us as soon as possible, both at the national and global levels." The One World of Labour Council seeks to forge a coordinated approach to labour relations across the alliance airlines and act as a voice for those working within it who might otherwise not be heard. The ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) is a global union federation representing 4,668,950 members in 155 countries. Two hundred and seventy five of those unions represent workers in the aviation sector, including cabin crew, pilots, ground staff, baggage handlers and air traffic controllers.

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS NEWS (AUSTRALIA):

 

 

 

***Rally to save jobs at railway workshop in New Zealand

Transport workers in New Zealand staged a rally in defence of jobs at a subsidiary of the country’s railway operator.   Some 2,000 people attended the rally on 9 July in the city of Dunedin. They were pressing the government to rethink the 40 job cuts at Hillside Railway workshops in South Dunedin, an inner city suburb. Hillside Railway, which is a subsidiary of the publicly owned KiwiRail, produces railway wagons for the New Zealand rail industry. The rally was backed by Dunedin mayor Dave Cull.   KiwiRail said that commercial reasons are behind a move to secure a standardised wagon fleet from an offshore source. This week a ship carrying some 100 Chinese-built wagons is due to arrive at the Port of Tauranga.   Following RMTU’s response to the proposed job cuts, KiwiRail management extended the consultation period with employees and union delegates. They were due to advise RMTU Hillside members of the result of their deliberations on 14 July. So far there has been no news.   Mark Davis, ITF deputy Asia Pacific regional secretary, said: "Railways in New Zealand started life under a government department that was corporatised, then disastrously sold to a private US railway operator and as a result had to be re-nationalised for the sake of the New Zealand travelling public. Whenever New Zealand transport unions and their members witness a negative impact on local jobs, resistance is demanded.”

 

 

 

FROM THE BBC:

 

 

Israel troops board Gaza protest boat Dignite-al Karama

Israeli commandos have boarded a boat trying to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, the military says.

The Dignite-al Karama, the sole representative of an initial 10-vessel flotilla, had earlier been warned to change course.

A military spokeswoman told AFP news agency the boat had been boarded peacefully and it was being towed towards the Israeli port of Ashdod.

An anti-blockade protest group said the boat had been in international waters.

'Diplomacy exhausted'

Maxime Guimberteau from A French Boat for Gaza said activists on board the Dignite-al Karama had told him they were 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza when the boat was surrounded by four Israeli navy ships. He said their conversation then cut off.

Responding to the news that Israeli commandos had boarded the boat, another French-based group, Platform Palestine, told the Associated Press that Israel's action clearly showed "the military logic of Israeli politics, which only speaks the language of force".

Platform Palestine said it had not been in contact with anyone on board the Dignite-al Karama.

The Hamas government in Gaza has also condemned the takeover of the vessel, AP reports.

An Israeli Defence Force statement said the Dignite-al Karama had been boarded "after all diplomatic channels had been exhausted and continuous calls to the vessel had been ignored".

It said the navy had started a dialogue with the activists five hours earlier.

"Upon expressing their unwillingness to arrive at the Ashdod port, it was unequivocally necessary to board the vessel and lead it there," the statement said.

"The soldiers operated in line with procedures and took every precaution necessary... [to] avoid causing harm to the activists on board while ensuring the safety of the soldiers."

Those on board would be turned over to officials from the Israel police, the Immigration and Population Authority and the Interior Ministry at Ashod, it said.

Humanitarian aid

The Dignite-al Karama is part of Freedom Flotilla II, which has been trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza since the end of June. Flotilla organisers say despite the opening of Gaza's Egyptian border, the territory remains under "unlawful blockade" by the Israelis.

In an earlier statement, the Israeli military said the aid could be delivered without breaching the blockade.

"The Israel navy notified the Al Karama that it is on a route leading to an area under a maritime security blockade off the coast of Gaza, and reminded them any supplies they may have on board may be transferred, legally, through the existing land crossings and the Ashdod port," the statement said.

Speaking to AFP from Paris on Tuesday morning, protest organiser Julien Rivoire said communications with the French-flagged Dignite-al Karama had been jammed.

"We can't get in touch with them by phone or by Internet," he said.

The activists' Twitter account said the navy asked for their location, which they provided. They said four navy ships were following the boat - three flanking their vessel on the left and one on the right.

One activist tweeted that the military had threatened to board the boat if it did not head away from the blockade.

Greek ban

On Monday, Thomas Sommer-Houdeville, a French activist on board the Dignite-al Karam told AFP the boat was only carrying a "symbolic message of peace and hope and love" and Israel had no reason to intercept it.

"We hope that they will not, we don't have a plan but we have a peaceful humanitarian mission. We are a peaceful boat flying a French flag."

Freedom Flotilla II said a ban on flotilla boats leaving Greek ports had stopped many of its vessels sailing. The Greek government said the ban was intended to protect activists.

Earlier this month, the captain of flotilla vessel The Audacity of Hope was arrested in the Greek port of Perama and charged with trying to leave port without permission and of endangering the lives of passengers.

In 2010, nine Turkish activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the lead ship of the first Freedom Flotilla, causing an international outcry.

As a result, Israel eased its blockade on Gaza, which it says is necessary to stop weapons smuggling and put pressure on Hamas.

It increased sanctions on the impoverished Palestinian territory in 2006 after militants captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israel tightened them further still a year later when Hamas ousted rival Palestinian organisation Fatah from the territory.

Although the Islamist group won Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006, it refuses to recognise Israel or to renounce violence and is designated in the West as a terror organisation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OTHER LANGUAGES

 

 

 

FROM DIE WELT (GERMANY):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

 

 

 

Pirate raids: interior minister sharply criticized

Neumann urges better protection for German ships - crisis meeting with shipowners

Pirates prepare technically more and more. Transport workers threaten to strike on the Africa route
Google Ad

Transfer Money to Germany
Need to Send Money to Germany? Great Rates, Low Fees, Big Savings!
www.UKForex.co.uk

Neumann: "An exporter must be able to secure their trade routes and, if necessary through robust access"

Hamburg's Senator Michael Neumann (SPD) has called for a meeting with Hamburg shipowners significantly more commitment from the federal government in the protection of German ships from piracy. "Free trade is threatened by piracy and hostage-taking ever stronger. What we are witnessing in our federal government in this context, but lack the organized," said Neumann, "Die Welt". The German Navy had an obligation to ensure the protection of German ships, but to get this duty is not enough, the interior minister. On the one hand is the single frigate, which was sent as part of Operation "Atalanta" to the Horn of Africa, not only capable of German vessels in such a large area to protect. On the other hand, the Germans were in the reputation of being not very fortified. "The German flag is for some pirates already a hallmark of a good ransom business," said Neumann. "An export nation like Germany, however, must be able to secure their trade routes and, if necessary through robust access." The Netherlands and Denmark would proceed with much sharper against pirates.

Neumann had met last Friday in the guesthouse of the Senate along with Senator Frank Horch economy (independent) with the major shipping companies in Hamburg. They had described the situation in Africa remains sharp words and asked for assistance.

In particular, two developments are the owners fear a further deterioration of the situation. For one, the pirates prepare technically more and more. While they were initially attacked by small boats from the coast, there are now already well-equipped base camp, said Neumann. If things go like they had feared that pirates eventually attacked by helicopters. The second major concern of the shipowner is responsible for a possible strike by crews International Transport Workers' Union (ITF). This had already threatened to suspend its members no longer want the dangers on the Africa route. "If the ITF is serious and can strike quite quickly the world trade come to a standstill," fears Neumann.

The claims of Hamburg's Senator of the Federal Government are clear. First, there must be reinforced by the Navy off the Horn of Africa - A frigate not rich. Secondly, the use must be made if necessary "robust", it would, if necessary, also the base camp of the pirates attacked. Third, should the conditions will be created that naval forces and federal police in the future could also provide on board merchant vessels for their protection. And fourth, the federal government should increase efforts to combat piracy in Somalia with the means of economic and development assistance. It should not be so long that many Somalis remain no other source of income as piracy, according to Neumann.

Possible references to the tense situation in the army personnel will not be Neumann in connection with the anti-piracy apply. "If the federal government should abolish the conscription and northern German sites close, do not mean that they can no longer fulfill their duties," said the Senator. "The safety of German ships is a legal right to redeem the federal government. There is not a voluntary service." If the international community is no longer in a position to enforce the rule of law at sea, the world will call for more and more pirates on the plan. It adds that the U.S. already ran out of an increasing involvement of pirates and international terrorism. Ransom payments to pirates were already regarded by them as terrorist financing.

Neumann announced a joint initiative of the North German states. He'll look to the North German interior ministers of the conversation. "We will not let loose on this issue," said Neumann. "We will bring it back on the agenda of the Conference of Interior Ministers. If necessary, we are also a Federal initiative to better protect German shipping. The federal government must finally wake up."

 

 

 

 

 

FROM TRASPORTO EUROPA (ITALY):

 

 

***Vertenze contro FedEx in India e Stati Uniti

 

 

 

GOOGLE TRANSLATION:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROM EL NUEVO DIA (COLOMBIA, SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED):

 

***Sector transportador lidera campaña contra el Sida

 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

Transport sector leads campaign against AIDS
El Nuevo Dia (Colombia) - July 16, 2011
United against HIV / AIDS "and called the campaign to prevent the disease that are promoting the International Federation of Transport Workers (ITF, for its acronym in English) and the National Union of Workers

 

 

 

 

FROM LA PROVINCIA (SPAIN):

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

The tanker 'Iballa G' goes to auction on Monday
The ship is docked at the Port since 2009, when it filed for bankruptcy. The crew had no means to return home
 2:00

Four of the sailors who are still in the 'Iballa G', yesterday, showing the roles of the auction. i SANTI WHITE
ELENA G. MONTERO - LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA Penniless, homeless and hopeless. The crew of Iballa G, moored at the dock port Reina Sofía de La Luz, expect almost powerless to leave next Monday for auction with a starting price of two million euros. Still, the sailors did not cease in its efforts to fight for what is yours: a salary not paid since mid-2009. They fear that the consignee to stay with the boat not know the status of the crew and do not want to take care of the money owed.

The Iballa G, which belonged to José Antonio Gámez Sanfiel owner, worked in oil transportation. On August 24, 2009 the consignee filed for bankruptcy after having contracted an immense debt to Cepsa and his crew, who owe money from earlier in the year that broke. Since then, the sailors live on charity from NGOs Stella Maris, which provides food, water and try not lack anything. It was the same organization that advised the remaining seven crew on board it would be auctioned on Monday 18 at 10.30 am with a starting price of two million euros.

Violation of rights

The sailor Pedro Guerra Agustín Leyva, a native of Cuba, said yesterday that it recently decided to send the international organization that oversees the safety of seafarers (ITF) two faxes commenting on the situation you are going through. The organization responded that they currently are violating their rights and try to get everything they fight. But still get nothing. Desperate, struggling not to be in memory and be able to access what is theirs: a money to go home and start her life, now broken by the injustice.

Sidifall Issa, Mauritania does not charge since April 2009 and by then no longer come to see even half the salary. "There were 20 crew, here were seven that we have no way to return home. What I want is to see my family, I have not seen for two years," she lamented. How he is Mor Thiam, Senegal, Ismael Reyes and Juan Velazquez, a Cuban. Everyone agrees that one of the main problems is that the Iballa G is now a junk and will not get what they ask, "will end selling for three dollars," says Juan Ismael. It should be added that the crew is convinced that they are falsifying the papers that show that have not been paid because the company made a payment Albatros the owner of 180,000 euros. They are sure that if I wanted to buy the whole boat, and would not want it because it is a lot of money they owe.

In addition, there is also something that haunts them, and they believe that ultimately is the same owner, through a representative, who is with the Panamanian flagged vessel at auction, and get nothing.

 

 

 

 

FROM OUEST FRANCE:

 

 

 

 

 

La levée de la saisie du bateau était envisagée hier, mais en fin de journée, rien n'était réglé.

Le cargo Oliver Stevns, bloqué à quai depuis le 6 juillet, aurait pu reprendre la mer hier, pour rallier Copenhague, destination prévue. Dans la journée, un paiement devait intervenir pour payer les dettes enregistrées, ce qui avait motivé la grève à quai des neuf marins turcs, dont l'un a été rapatrié mercredi.

Hier soir, selon Laure Tallonneau, du syndicat international ITF, les marins affichaient une réelle déception. « Les nouvelles que nous avions de la compagnie indiquaient qu'elle versait les sommes réclamées dans la journée de vendredi. » Ce qui paraissait, avec les derniers contacts, toujours valable pour qu'un huissier monte à bord indiquer la fin de la saisie conservatoire du bateau. Peu avant 17 h, ce scénario tenait toujours, sans qu'aucun acte intervienne pourtant dans cet épineux dossier qui cloue le cargo à Kergroise. De fait, l'agent d'escale du bateau, l'Omnium Maritime Armoricain, n'avait, indiquait ITF, reçu aucune nouvelle. Ce qui a provoqué du désarroi chez les marins, qui attendaient une issue à cette situation, avec le règlement de leurs salaires, première source du conflit, avant que la situation ne se complique encore, un autre bateau du même armement ayant des dettes à l'égard d'un chantier d'Istanbul. « Visiblement, il ne s'agit pas seulement d'une question d'argent », s'inquiétait Laure Talloneau, en soirée. Venue de Brest, elle s'apprêtait à passer la nuit à Lorient, car il restait, même considérée comme infime « une petite ouverture pour régler ce dossier dans la journée de samedi ».

 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNION/LABOUR RELATED MEDIA:

 

 

 

FROM THE RMTU:

 

 

Rail & Maritime Transport Union Volume 2011 # 8

***FISHING INQUIRY – A LONG TIME

C

OMING

The Maritime Union of New Zealand

(MUNZ) said that on-going problems with

the abuse and underpayment of overseas

crews on joint venture vessels in New

Zealand waters had become an

international embarrassment.

Maritime Union of New Zealand general

secretary Joe Fleetwood said that the

MUNZ and the ITF had

intervened in numerous cases

in the past few years.

"We are interested to see the

industry is now calling for the

inquiry, but we have been

calling for an inquiry like this

for years. It has been a long

time coming."

Current regulation of the New

Zealand fishing industry and

joint venture operators using

international crews had failed

he claimed. The union is

demanding that the inquiry is not just a

"box ticking exercise”, but that there is

proper regulation and enforcement. Wages

and conditions for all workers should be

“world class” and there should also be

employment opportunities for New Zealand

workers in their own industry.

Recently, 32 crew on board the Oyang 75

in Lyttelton abandoned ship claiming they

had been physically and verbal abused and

underpaid; several other similar cases

have also been brought to light.

Earlier this week, Helen McAra, general

secretary of the ITF-affiliated New Zealand

Merchant Service Guild, criticised New

Zealand’s fishing code of practice for failing

to protect overseas workers from abuse

and exploitation.

 

***ONEWORLD UNIONS

O

FFER EMPLOYERS

'P

ARTNERSHIP IN

B

UILDING ALLIANCE

F

UTURE'

A new body representing workers in

oneworld alliance airlines today made its

first move by offering a constructive

partnership between trade unions and

management on problem-solving and

negotiation.

The One World of Labour Council – which

was formed in April by unions affiliated to

the ITF (International Transport Workers’

Federation) and with members working

across the alliance – made the offer in a

letter to the CEOs of each of oneworld’s 12

member airlines.

In it, the Council’s coordinator, John M

Conley, says:

“I am writing to you to introduce the One

World of Labour Council, a global group that

comprises trade unions representing

workers across the oneworld alliance

member airlines.

“The oneworld airlines are operating

increasingly as if they have a de facto

merger, and this alliance on the part of our

employers has caused us to forge even

closer working relationships. The One World

of Labour Council was established within the

International Transport Workers’ Federation,

a Global Union Federation of 780 transport

trade unions which collectively represent

over 4.6 million workers worldwide, to

strengthen collaboration, information

sharing, joint planning and actions on issues

of common concern to our members.

“The Labour Council met recently in Madrid,

where its members reaffirmed their

commitment to acting in unity and

becoming an effective counterpart to the

employers in the oneworld alliance.

“We see ourselves as your partners in

building a world class oneworld alliance

that maintains high standards with regard

to safety, customer care and employment

conditions, and that strengthens its

position through quality service and

professionalism rather than by pursuing a

futile and destructive strategy of labour

cost competition.

“At present, industrial relations are clearly

strained in a number of airlines within the

oneworld group and our unions have

pledged to support each other during these

challenging times. Nevertheless, we wish

to express our commitment to problemsolving

and negotiating in good faith with

those among our management

counterparts who are willing to do the

same. To this end, the Labour Council

would like to invite you and

your fellow leaders within

oneworld to open channels

of communication with us

as soon as possible, both at

the national and global

levels.”

The One World of Labour Council seeks to

forge a coordinated approach to labour

relations across the alliance airlines and

act as a voice for those working within it

who might otherwise not be heard. The ITF

(International Transport Workers’

Federation) is a global union federation

representing 4,668,950 members in 155

countries. Two hundred and seventy five of

those unions represent workers in the

aviation sector, including cabin crew,

pilots, ground staff, baggage handlers and

air traffic controllers.

 

 

 

FROM 3F:

 

 

 

***3F formand i protest mod Skania

16. juli 2011

14:59

"Når der er over 1400 arbejdsløse på øen, er det helt uacceptabelt, at det halvt statsejede rederi bruger underbetalt polsk arbejdskraft", det siger 3F's landsformand Poul Erik Skov Christensen til P4 Bornholm i forbindelse med, at han lørdag deltager i en demonstration mod færgen Skania. Poul Erik Skov Christensen, der er på ferie på Bornholm, anderkender, at Skanias personale har en overenskomst med ITF, det internationale transportarbejderforbund, som 3F Danmark bakker op om. "Men det ændrer ikke ved, at der er brug for at kæmpe for danske job og danske overenskomster", siger han.

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROM MTWTU:

 

 

 

***Морская секция ITF

 

Буэнос Айрес - один из самых интересных мегаполисов мира. Именно аргентинская столица стала местом проведения заседаний морской и докерской секций Международной Федерации Транспортников, а также заседания Комитета справедливой практики (КСП) МФТ. Наряду с указанными событиями прошло заседание Координаторов инспекторов Федерации. 

Профсоюз работников морского транспорта Украины был представлен делегатом морской секции Михаилом Киреевым, председателем Профсоюза работников морского транспорта Украины, и делегатом докерской секции Олегом Григорюком, первым заместителем председателя Черноморской первичной профсоюзной организации моряков ПРМТУ. 

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASES

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

 

 

 

 

July 18 2011

 

 

Immediate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RMT REJECTS LATEST  TUBE PAY OFFER

 

 

THE LARGEST tube union RMT confirmed today that it has formally rejected the latest pay offer from London Underground.

 

 

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

 

 

 “The RMT executive has rejected the latest pay offer from London Underground. The fractional increase in the offer for this year is to only 4.75% which is still significantly below inflation, as the RPI figure for February was 5.5%. Our Members are currently experiencing significant increases in their costs of living, the latest being the outrageous price rises announced by British Gas. 

 

 

“Moreover, LU’s offer is for a five-year settlement which is too long duration, especially when the offer for years 2 to 5 is only a small fraction above RPI. This would leave London Underground staff vulnerable to real-terms pay cuts in years when RPI under-estimates the real rise in living costs, as it often does and would leave us unable to claim for further increases until 2016.

 

 

 “Adding insult to injury, LU has dismissed out-of hand our claim for a minimum flat-rate pay increase, which would benefit lower paid grades. It has also dismissed our claim for a reduction in working hours and offered little or nothing on our other claims for improved conditions. We will continue to campaign alongside our sister unions for a deal that protects and improves our member’s standards of living."