LU management have produced a document which waters down safety checks for trains. Your reps believe that this is a disaster waiting to happen. The document states that during special circumstances, special timetable operation, abnormal service patterns, failure of trip-cock testers, there is no requirement to test trip-cocks every trip. Every 48 hours or so seems good enough for LU.

As far as RMT is concerned, trip-cocks must be tested every trip regardless of other circumstances.

All LU trains have tripcocks; this is our failsafe mechanism should the train have a SPAD (signal passed at danger). It ensures the brakes are applied straight way. It also helps prevent runaway trains. This is the main reason we do not have major incidents and collisions. Trains must have the trip cock tested, once per trip, regardless.

LU is now claiming is that there are special circumstances where trains' tripcocks DO NOT have to be tested on every trip. This is news to your reps at the Trains Health and Safety Council!

LU claims that there is no requirement in the Rule Book for trains to be tested every trip. As far as all drivers on LU are concerned this is a must. We cannot accept this watered down method of working. It is an unsafe working practice.

At no time have the Safety Council every been consulted on this very dangerous practise. There is no paperwork, it has just appeared, rubber-stamped by the same people who tried to bring you the Operational Effectiveness Programme. These people seem hell bent on introducing unsafe working practises and removing all our fail safe procedures.