AS WORKERS across London Underground prepare for a further 24 hour strike over safe staffing levels starting this Sunday evening, RMT have today released pictures of worn-away brake blocks on trains that with finance-driven maintenance changes would be forced into service, a move that the union says demonstrate that financial cuts are ripping to shreds safety and maintenance schedules with lethal consequences for passengers and staff alike.

London Underground have begun trialing a new schedule which will double the period between brake inspections on tube trains from 14 to 28 days – the pictures that RMT have released today are of brake blocks after 14 days of wear on the tracks and show in the most graphic detail that if the current schedule is extended the brakes will be grinding metal on metal creating the perfect conditions for a major disaster.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said today:

“We have warned repeatedly that LU/TfL’s cuts plans are playing fast and loose with safety and will turn the tube into a death trap. It is a scandal that the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, and his transport officials have chosen to ignore those warnings and have failed to engage in serious talks with the unions on the issues at the heart of this current dispute.

“Today we release pictures which show what happens when you slash maintenance schedules and impose cutbacks on safety – you run trains without brake blocks and turn the journey to and from work into a lottery. These pictures are a damning indictment of London Undeground’s cuts plans and will send shivers down the spine of tube users.

“We remain available for talks but the current cuts to jobs and safety must be halted before we have a tragedy on our hands. RMT and TSSA members have been faced with a stark choice – we either strike now and disrupt the service in order to force LU/TfL to take this issue seriously or we sit back and wait for a disaster. We have no choice but to take action on behalf of Londoners who depend daily on a safe transport system.”