London Underground Job Cuts Dispute 2010-11

As requested by RMT's campaign committee, I wrote the following letter to Labour Parliamentary candidates in and around London (or at least, the ones I could find email addresses for!):

As you may know, London Underground, under the leadership of Tory Mayor Boris Johnson, plans to cut 800 station staff jobs, and to severely cut ticket office opening hours.

RMT and London Underground's other trade unions strongly oppose this plan, as we believe it will: - endanger passengers - reduce customer service

This resolution, submitted as an emergency resolution by Neasden branch and seconded by Camden 3 branch, was carried unanimiously by the April meeting of the Regional Council ...

This region notes that the plans for station staff cuts affect all grades.

This region notes that our ethos and history supports all grades in action together.

This region calls on the CofE to ballot every single grade within London Underground for the “operational strategic plan” Dispute

TUBE UNION RMT today slammed proposed changes to London Underground train operations that the union has warned would turn station platforms into “death traps.”

Proposals submitted to RMT safety reps at the Trains Health and Safety Council (THSC), and titled the Operation Effectiveness Programme (OEP), would involve:

• Detraining in a tunnel on your own.
• departing Category A platforms alone with defective OPO equiptment.
• Notching back into platforms after an overrun.

From Steve Hedley, RMT Regional Organiser:

If anyone has bought into the management propaganda that the 800 station staff job cuts will not affect drivers, the management's latest attack on safety should shatter their illusions.

LUL has put forward a raft of proposals which will compromise the safety of drivers and passengers alike, and are trying to steamroller them through in order to do away with the need for station staff.

Managements new 'Operational Effectiveness Programme' seeks to:

Whichever grade you work in, 800 fewer jobs on stations would mean …

• 800 fewer people paying in to the TfL pension fund + 800 fewer employer contributions paid in = a more fragile pension fund for all of us
• 800 fewer staff available to assist you in an emergency
• The same amount of work being done by 800 fewer people
• 800 fewer staff helping passengers - including your friends and family - around the system
• 800 fewer posts for you to transfer into if you need redeployment or want a career change

Around 15 RMT members and supporters dished out hundreds of leaflets to Liverpool Street passengers on Friday lunchtime, explaining London Underground's plans to cut staff and ticket office service at their station.

All 500 leaflets were taken by passengers, many eager to read about the threat and support our campaign against it, and many of whom signed our petition:

Your Trains Health and Safety Council reps write ...

The recession bites as LU announces proposals to run trains without the need for station staff.

A study by RMT of Transport for London’s latest accounts reveals that the number of managers earning between £70,000 and £99,000 had more than doubled to nearly 800 – which matches the number of front-line station staff that Tube bosses want to axe.

EVER MORE London Tube bosses are being paid telephone-number salaries while hundreds of front-line staff face the axe, the RMT union charges today.