RMT Warned Of Overcrowding Risk Days Before Woman Dragged Under Train

Union warnings of lethal overcrowding at "death trap" tube station were ignored by underground bosses.

Tube union RMT revealed today that it formally warned underground bosses of lethal overcrowding at Clapham South station in a specially convened safety meeting last week, warnings that were ignored. That most recent warning followed previous alerts flagged up by the union over the past year about death trap overcrowding ‎at stations along sections of the Northern Line.

Yesterday, in a terrifying incident on Clapham South's overcrowded platform a woman was dragged between the platform and the train in exactly the kind of scenario RMT safety reps have been warning of.
RMT is now demanding a top level meeting on serious overcrowding and staffing issues across London's transport network in the wake of Clapham South and serious incidents at Brixton and Oxford Circus last week and the continuing chaos at London Bridge.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:
"It is frankly disgraceful that tube bosses are ignoring overcrowding warnings from RMT safety reps while passengers themselves are all over social media supporting the unions concerns.

"The terrifying incident at Clapham South yesterday, added to major issues at Brixton and Oxford Circus last week and the chaos at London Bridge, show that transport bosses are taking serious risks with life and limb as they try to squeeze a quart into a pint pot while at the same time hacking back staffing levels.

"The only solution to overcrowding on both tube and mainline ‎is more capacity, proper planning and increases in staffing levels to deliver a safe environment.

"This critical situation cannot be allowed to continue until we have a fatality on our hands. Our members know where the death traps are and where the pressures are building up and we are demanding a top level safety summit to allow us to get our safety fears addressed and dealt with and that also means an immediate halt to the job cuts. "

> RMT National News

Saturday, 15th November
Rail union RMT will demonstrate outside City Hall next Thursday calling on the Mayor and Transport for London to halt the re-tendering of the Tube cleaning contract and bring the workforce back in-house.
Friday, 14th November
RMT heavily criticised Carlisle Support Services today for shutting down negotiations and refusing to make any pay offer, on the day contracted out Northern Trains revenue and gate line members take strike action.
Wednesday, 12th November
Offshore union, RMT has criticised North Sea operator Ithaca Energy for extracting huge profits and dividends while benefiting from job losses in the supply chain.
Wednesday, 12th November
Rail union RMT, has condemned Avanti West Coast for running stations with low staffing levels, warning that cuts and unfilled vacancies are putting both passengers and staff potentially at risk.
Tuesday, 11th November
Rail union, RMT is stepping up its national campaign to end outsourcing across the railway with a day of action to put pressure on Northern in Manchester on Wednesday 19 November.