RMT press releases

FROM RMT PRESS OFFICE

On the day that Boris Johnson announced that he is going to sort the tube out for the Olympics the Mayor has been hit by a massive embarrassment as the entire service on the busy District Line stretch from Earls Court down to Wimbledon is closed this afternoon in advance of rush hour.

TFL are blaming emergency engineering works. An earlier stalled train at Putney Bridge took 80 minutes to de-train due to a shortage of staff.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

TUBE UNION RMT today demanded an urgent review of safety procedures and an assurance that crucial lessons have been learnt after an internal report into the flooding of Charing Cross station by water from the Trafalgar Square fountains two weeks ago revealed that the incident almost ended in disaster.

The RMT London Taxi Branch will be demonstrating/picketing outside the offices of Transport for London, Windsor House, Victoria Street SW1 at 11am on the 11th April 2011 over the disturbing and worrying rise in reported rapes/sexual assaults of women in London.

• In the year 2009 140 sexual assaults were reported in “bogus” or unlicensed mini-cabs.
• Of the 140 reported sexual assaults 24 were actual rapes.
• When compared to 2008 figures this represents a rise of 53%
  

TUBE UNION RMT announced today that it has served notice on London Underground for a ballot of all train operator and instructor operator members for strike action in an escalation of on-going disputes over the victimisation of union activists including two driver members - Eamon Lynch and Arwyn Thomas - over their trade union activities.

TRANSPORT UNION RMT today slammed the BBC’s Question Time for “outrageous political bias” after an invitation to General Secretary Bob Crow to appear on the programme this eveningwith London Mayor Boris Johnson was withdrawn at short notice.

Question Time editorial staff cobbled together the pathetic excuse that Bob Crow was pulled from the show “because he appeared on Any Questions?” last week - even though Johnson appeared on exactly that same show where Crow wiped the floor with him

TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it has begun balloting the underground’s crucial Power Control Room staff for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over pay grade progression.

In a recent referendum ballot on London Underground’s latest proposals to the staff they were rejected by a vote of 100% and the union is campaigning for a similar rock-solid mandate for industrial action.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow has spoken about the latest rise in inflation and how this will affect pay claims for this year.

Crow said “Ahead of tomorrow’s Budget it is crystal clear that the Chancellor and the ConDem Government have a strategy of holding down pay increases while real living costs go through the roof – bullying working people into accepting savage cuts to their standards of living to pay for this banker crisis. RMT will not tolerate that kind of assault on our members.

TUBE UNION RMT today demanded an immediate halt to staffing and maintenance cuts as an investigation report revealed that crumbling infra-structure and staffing cuts led to a potentially-lethal tube derailment last year.

The derailment happened between Earl's Court and Gloucester Road on the Piccadilly line at 5.30am on 12 May 2010. The train consisted of two locos, two wagons and a track machine.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow says the Hutton Review will be "the spark that lights the blue touch paper of co-ordinated strike action". Bob Crow said:

"We have seen this week that gold-plated bonuses and pensions for the bankers and speculators who caused this crisis are still the order of the day while those slogging their guts out making this country tick are lined up for a kicking by Lord Hutton and the ConDems."

From RMT General Secretary Bob Crow:

I am delighted to be able to report that this morning in the Court of Appeal RMT has secured a massive landmark victory on the UK strike laws over our dispute on Serco Docklands.

The full details are contained in the press statement below but be under no illusions – this morning RMT has given a huge boost to 7 million trade unionists in the country fighting for jobs, pensions and standards of livings.