From 'RMT On The Trains' newsletter, August 2008

Following on from the drunken chaos on the Underground on May 31st we eagerly await Boris’s plans for December 31st. Past years have seen the Tube transformed into mobile bars on New Years Eve as revellers get in the party spirit before midnight; then transformed into rivers of beer and vomit as they go home again after midnight. Boris’s alcohol ban is hardly likely to reduce this mayhem. Especially if, as in previous years, free travel is sponsored by a drinks company!

Boris’s decision, taken with absolutely no consultation with the Trade Unions, to ban alcohol from June 1st has been fraught with problems. Train operators and station staff who witnessed the assaults and abuse on the “last night for drinking” parties can only look on with apprehension as LUL plan all-night running for NYE.

Your RMT members on the Trains Functional Council are aware of your concerns and are closely scrutinising plans for all-night working. Be assured we will consult with members and reps before giving the go-ahead.