Refusal To Work on Safety Grounds During Tube Lines Strike

Tube Lines are responsible for the Emergency Response Unit that covers the entire network and is fundamental to the safe running of London Underground. To ensure your own safety and that of others during the period of industrial action you are advised to approach your management prior to carrying out your duties for assurances that a safe system of work is in place.

RMT slams 'lethal and unworkable' Tory plan to axe all tube drivers and operators in a dash for cuts

TUBE UNION RMT tonight condemned “lethal and unworkable” plans leaked to the BBC from within the GLA Tory Group to axe all train drivers and operators on London Underground and to move the entire tube system to a driverless operation.

The leaked report, confirmed as being under discussion by the GLA Tories and which London Tory Mayor Boris Johnson is aware of, recommends sacking all of the 3,525 train drivers and operators estimating that it could result in savings of £141 million per annum.

Emergency Regional Council meeting

Note that the date has been rearranged due to practical difficulties with holding the meeting during the Tube Lines strike.

Venue: Exmouth Arms, Star Cross Street, London NW1

Following a request by a majority of Branch Secretaries in the Region, an emergency meeting of the London Transport Regional Council will be held to discuss current disputes within the region.

Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Disputes:

RMT Calls On Boris Johnson To “Get Out Of The Bunker” Over Tube Lines Dispute

TUBE UNION RMT today issued a renewed call for London Mayor Boris Johnson to “get out of the bunker and start talking” as the clock ticks down towards two 48 hour strikes called by the union in defence of jobs, pay and working conditions on Tube Lines starting next Wednesday.

RMT have warned that the threat to tube maintenance jobs will have serious safety consequences with the union already compiling evidence that repairs and renewals schedules are being hacked to pieces in the dash to slash budgets.

London Assembly Tories' Plan For The Tube Without Train Drivers

The Conservative group on the London Assembly have sent a memo to Mayor Boris Johnson detailing how they believe an underground system without drivers would provide a world class mass transit system.

The conservative group believe the underground would be better with an increased number of faster trains, more customers but less staff (sound familiar?). They claim that the acquisition of Tube Lines by London Underground is the perfect time to ditch drivers.

Resolution: London Underground industrial action ballot

Stratford no.1 branch submited the following resolution to be debated at the emergency Regional Council meeting in June, but withdrew the resolution at the meeting ...

This union notes that the decision of the GGC to ballot members on London Underground for industrial action against jobs cuts has yet to be implemented. We strongly urge the union to commence this process as soon as possible.

The employer is proceeding with its job cutting plan:

  • Admin staff preferencing has already taken place.

'RMT London Calling' June 2010 - Support These Strikes!

The new issue of our 'RMT London Calling' newsletter reports on next week's industrial action on Tube Lines and Docklands Light Railway, and on the approaching ballot of London Underground members.

It also reports on RMT's victory on ill-health pensions, our campaigning to bring London Overground (including the extended East London Line) into public ownership, John McDonnell's Bill to stop injunctions against strikes for technical trivialities, and RMT's plans to participate in the LGBT Pride march on 3 July.

London Underground's Response to RMT's Counter-Proposal to Job Cuts

This is London Underground's response to RMT's presentation to the Company Council outlining our objections and our alternatives to the company's job-cutting plan (view it here). Despite the company refusing to publish our presentation on its Intranet, we are happy to publish its response on our website, as we trust readers to draw their own conclusions ...

RMT highlighted their concerns with the implications they believed would follow the proposed reduction in Station Staff

Tube Lines and Metronet: What They Said About Themselves

This is what our two failed Infracos said about themselves before they signed their PPP contracts ...

"Tube Lines believes that it will add value to the vital public service provided by LUL by delivering on time and to budget."

"Metronet has the skills, the knowledge and the ability along with sound financial backing to help turn London Underground into a system fit for the 21st century."

If anyone had to eat their words, the bosses of these consortia would have alphabetti spaghetti on the menu for years to come ...

DLR Staff to Strike over 3-Car Running

DLRRMT members on Docklands Light Railway will strike on 23-26 June after the company refused to give workers any reward for their co-operation with the introduction of new three-car trains.

The extra carriage on each train means that PSAs work with 50% more capacity, so in effect, DLR is saving the cost of half a PSA - around £25,000 - per train. Yet it refuses to share the benefits of three-car running with staff.