RMT press releases

TRANSPORT UNION RMT warned today of severe pressures on staffing levels and serious safety risks across the transport system as experts advised that up to 40% of the population could become ill with the swine flu over the coming weeks.

Transport workers are known to be at greater risk of infection as they tend to work in close contact with the public and colleagues, and often in confined spaces like trains, buses, the Underground, ferries and offices.

Taxi union RMT have sent out a warning to BAA that they will not fall for stalling tactics after the company announced late on Friday that they are delaying their plans to undermine the black cab trade at Heathrow by allowing minicab company’s Addison Lee and One Transport to operate what is effectively a rank system at the airport.

RMT held a mass consultation with cab drivers at the feeder car park at Heathrow last week at which Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, pledged an all-out fight with BAA over their plans to deregulate taxi services on the airport.

TRANSPORT UNION RMT warned today that services in London are staring down the barrel of a £6 billion funding gap which threatens to wreck modernisation schedules and plans for the 2012 Olympics while leaving thousands of jobs under threat.

The warning comes on the day that a new London Assembly report points to a £1.7 billion transport income gap as a result of the recession which it predicts will open up between now and 2018.

Black cab driver members of specialist transport union RMT confirmed today that they will be fighting plans by BAA which would open the door to direct booking of minicabs at Heathrow in a move that has been described as “disastrous” for the licensed taxi trade.

BAA is looking at trialing a deal with Addison Lee and One Transport at terminals 3 and 5 this year which would allow them to operate from reserved bays and from a central booking booth in the car park in direct challenge to the traditional black cab rank.

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: