RMT press releases

Tube union RMT warned today of another potential privatisation collapse on the Tube as a £2 billion funding row broke out between Tube Lines and Transport for London which could put essential works and thousands of jobs at risk in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

Tube Lines, which holds the contract for the repairs and refurbishment of the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee Lines, has attempted to hack £2 billion from it's estimated costs of £ 7.2 billion on the work programme for the next seven and half years with a significant scaling back of the scope of the planned works.

Transport union RMT today called for a full National Audit Office investigation into the use of management consultants by Transport for London after new figures showed that over £15 million has been spent in one section alone, congestion charging and traffic enforcement, in the past two years. The union are also referring the matter to the Transport Committee of the GLA.

SPECIALIST TRANSPORT union RMT is urging London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to facilitate an urgent industry wide Olympics Summit between the unions, train operating companies, London Underground and Network Rail to set out a clear transport framework for the 2012 games.

The call comes on the first full day of RMT’s Annual General Meeting on the Isle of Man.

RMT tube workers will be taking a protest to Mayor Boris Johnson’s question time this Wednesday – 17th June – over his broken promises on the London Living Wage for some tube cleaners and over the docking of pay for staff who could not get into work on the snow day in February.

Following discussions today, RMT tonight confirmed that talks aimed at settling the London Tube dispute will take place at ACAS next week, on a date to be confirmed, with LUL.

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST trade union, Unite, which is also one of the four unions on London Underground, has pledged its full support and solidarity with the RMT in its current dispute over jobs, pay and bullying on the Tube.

Unite have also joined a growing call for Mayor Boris Johnson to enter into direct talks with RMT which has been supported today by London Labour MPs, GLA members and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone.

Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional industrial organiser, said:

TUBE UNION RMT have confirmed that talks on the issues at the heart of the dispute on the tube will take place tomorrow – Friday 5th June – at 12 noon

RMT members at both London Undergound and TfL have voted to strike from 18.59 hrs next Tuesday – 9th June – in separate disputes on pay, job cuts and bullying.

This morning RMT issued a call for talks. The union has been contacted by the management side and the talks are scheduled for tomorrow at noon.

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, said:

TUBE UNION RMT today called on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, and his senior tube bosses, to “get out of the bunker” and open meaningful talks ahead of the 48 hour tube strikes which will start at 18.59 hours next Tuesday, 9th June.

It is now a week since RMT announced the strikes after receiving a massive mandate for action from members at London Underground and TfL. All preparations for the strikes are now in place and the support is rock solid.

TUBE UNION RMT today slammed senior tube bosses for “rank hypocrisy” on pay as figures from Transport For London’s annual report showed that 123 managers are now earning more than £100,000 a year.

Those same managers have been leading the assault on RMT members who have voted to strike over a five year pay deal which would almost certainly amount to a pay cut well into the next decade and over plans to impose compulsory redundancies.

TUBE UNION RMT today called for direct talks with London Mayor Boris Johnson following the breakdown in industrial relations with London Underground and TfL which is at the heart of the overwhelming votes for industrial action confirmed yesterday.

RMT members voted by huge majorities for strike action in separate disputes with LUL and TfL over pay, job losses and working conditions. The union has announced 48 hours of strike action commencing at 18.59 hrs on Tuesday 9th June through to 18.58 hrs on Thursday 11th June.