RMT blasts Mayor’s “transport strategy” as a smokescreen for job cuts, ticket office closures and attacks on safety standards

TUBE UNION RMT today blasted London Tory Mayor Boris Johnson for throwing up a smokescreen under the guise of a “Transport Strategy”, designed to deflect attention away from his multi-billion transport cuts package that threatens thousands of jobs, ticket office closures across the Capital and a systematic undermining of current safety standards.

Boris Johnson unveiled his “Transport Strategy” today and has chosen to airbrush out the attack on staffing levels, ticket offices and safety standards that is already being rolled out by his officials.

RMT today repeated its pledge to fight the tube and TfL cuts, including the threat to jobs following the final collapse of the PPP shambles with the buying out of the Tube Lines contract. The union also raised fears that the incoming government, whichever format it takes, will seek further cuts in transport budgets as it swings the axe at public expenditure.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said;

“Boris Johnson has made no effort to discuss his “Transport Strategy” with the people who really matter – the thousands of workers out there delivering transport services in London day in and day out.

“Instead, all we get from his officials are plans to cut jobs, ticket offices and safety standards that are already leaving stations all over London unstaffed and unsafe in direct contradiction of promises that Boris Johnson made in the run up to the Mayoral election.

“We have made it clear again today that unless we get assurances that staff will not be expected to pay the price for the collapse of Tube Lines and the last knockings of the failed tube privatisation experiment we will push on with plans for action and our ballot of members will go ahead.”