The 6 June strike on the Jubilee Line was suspended after bosses buckled and made concessions.
The victory highlights the importance of unions working together. Jubilee Line drivers were unhappy with a new timetable which saw weekend working increased and a deterioration in work life balance, and so decided to do something about.
Initially management ignored the issue, and then following a successful ballot for strike by both RMT and Aslef tried to trivialise it. They claimed that what the unions were concerned about amounted to one extra Saturday rest day in six years. However, on the eve of the strike they capitulated, offering extra weekends off, a thanks to unions for offering a solution, and an undertaking to look at what caused the issues in the first place. Undoubtedly the prospect of a joint union strike, that would've shut down service on the line, focused the bosses' minds.
Of course this dispute, like all others, is about more than the particular issues raised. It is a timely and necessary reminded to our bosses that it is us who does the job, and that we workers cannot be ignored when we stick together and take industrial action. We don’t need to accept a degrading of our conditions. This is a useful lesson as we approach the next LUL pay deal.
Tubeworker understands that both unions negotiated from a joint position, together in the same room. This is how it should be. The next logical step is to have one transport union representing all transport workers.
