NEWS.CATEGORY: Health and safety
Call for Health, Safety and Welfare Representatives
We need TSSA members like you to stand to be Health, Safety and Welfare representatives (safety reps). The pandemic has shown the vital work that our safety reps do in seeking to ensure all colleagues are as safe as possible, either by encouraging the employer to remove risks entirely or implementing measures that reduce the risk on staff where these risks cannot be fully removed. For example, your rep’s input has been crucial on the project phoenix risk assessments. They have also assisted in giving guidance to members on issues such as dynamic risk assessment and the safe stop procedure. But, we need more members to stand forward to assist their colleagues particularly as we will be losing some reps to voluntary severance in the coming months.
Collaborative Working with H&S reps
Over many years TSSA has been in negotiations with GWR to improve the current Health & Safety meeting arrangements/agreement by adding in an additional regional tier of representation and if this “Collaborative Working with H&S reps” procedure is agreed by all parties, we will have to run elections for those regional seats and one Lead rep at some point in 2022.
Importantly the proposed document sets out the history TSSA has of being the only union to appoint management safety reps, along side its ability to appoint stations, revenue protection and clerical graded Health & Safety representatives.
This circular is written with a view to ensuring that you the reader think about standing to be a local Health, Safety and Welfare Representative. Whether you are interested in fatigue management, hybrid working, work life balance, increasing support for colleagues’ mental health and wellbeing, improving thermal comfort, ensuring a workplace redesign or move takes on board the views of your colleagues or something else health, safety or welfare related you should complete a nomination form and get colleagues to nominate you.
All Safety Representatives receive paid time off to carry out their duties and receive trade union training. Courses for new reps are running in the next few months, so this is the perfect time to stand!
If interested, you should complete and return the nomination form at the bottom of this page by 12 noon on Wednesday 23 February 2022. Depending on interest received and the size of a workplace if we receive more than one nomination, then we may need to run an election which only TSSA members will get a vote in.
Here is a rundown of where we need Health, Safety and Welfare representatives
| Grade | Location needed |
Clerical Grades (These cover a multitude of Functions and Departments) | We currently have no Clerical safety reps so all locations needed. |
Management Grades (These cover a multitude of Functions and Departments) | Multiple locations, Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway and Temple Meads, Gloucester, London Capital house, Paddington station and Macmillan house, Oxford, Plymouth Station and Office 9, Reading Depot, Station and Vastern House, Swindon Holbrook house, Milford House and Western House, Swansea Station, Westbury – this list is not exhaustive |
Revenue Protection Grades (RPI’s and T.E’s) | Particularly in the West and Central but one vacancy in the East |
Station Sales (TSSO’s, Booking office and Helpdesk) | Needed in multiple sites across the network |
If you have any questions, or are interested in being another type of rep then please contact Alan Valentine by clicking here
It is important to ensure your contact information and work information is up to date and correct. You can update your membership record with a change of home address, workplace, job title or other contact details yourself by visiting www.tssa.org.uk/login to register and update your TSSA membership record. Being registered for My TSSA will also enable you to see some restricted pages on our new website.
Please also encourage any non-members to join TSSA at www.tssa.org.uk/join