Health and safety

A Night Tube Driver was seriously assaulted at Stanmore at 04.30 on Sunday morning (5th November). The driver was changing ends to move the train from reception road 33 to sidings road 27. Whilst changing ends the driver was assaulted by five or six youths and had spray paint sprayed on his face.

The youths also took the drivers radio.

Dear RMT members

Yesterday the General Secretary and myself attended a Security / Terrorism meeting (summit) with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of London.

All the trade unions in Tfl were there. The meeting covered all features of TfL operation including tube, buses, ferries, DLR, London Overground, cable car, all contractors and directly employed engineering and maintenance staff, cleaners ... everyone in fact.

The Chief Constable of the BTP and other security officials as well as senior LUL and Tfl Directors also attended.

TUBE UNION RMT today demanded the immediate staffing  of ALL London Underground stations – or the closure of stations when they are unstaffed – after  another dangerous incident at an unstaffed station. 

At Ruislip station last Friday (20 Oct) as a train was pulling into the platform, a young person jumped from the platform onto the tracks. Due to the driver’s quick reactions he was able to bring his train to an emergency stop which prevented the youth being hit. 

As you may or may not be aware, your station has been picked to take part in a trial which LU hopes will involve staff voluntarily wearing a red “tabard” with “Here To Help” written on the back. This trial was born out of a London Travel Watch survey which states the following. Throughout our research, it has become clear that most passengers feel that the most critical part of their journey experience relating to staff is their visibility and availability, as opposed to their location.

RMT Upfront is the newsletter for Tube drivers from RMT activists.  In this health and safety edition:

• Terrorist attack at Parson’s Green, management response highlights shortcomings
• Not HOT, and what’s WHAT?
• Flash & dash rehashed
• Role out of training is not good enough
• Radios and suspect packages
• SPAD Rule Amalgamation
• Cab Security

Please distribute the newsletter in your workplace and share it online.

**URGENT ADVISE FOR ALL RMT MEMBERS ON LONDON UNDERGROUND & TfL!**

SUSPECT PACKAGES

RMT consider it important to note that there has been no changes to Government guidance around HOT procedures, and instructing staff to open or tamper with suspicious packages is contrary to CURRENT Government guidance and may put staff and the travelling public in serious and imminent danger.

The current Government guidance advises that if, after following the HOT protocol a member of staff considers an object to be suspect, they should take the following actions in this order:

Comrades
As you know, or might not, the facilities management company LU employed to carry out risk assessments and testing of our water have been accused of not completing paperwork. This leaves us in a position of not know which depots or stations have had 4 weekly testing for legionella and other less regular testing for bacteria such as e-coli carried out.