The officially designated mess room at Marylebone station is on the concourse, at the bottom of the escalators down from the gateline. It’s rarely used; it’s a bit dingy, away from the toilets, and further away from the gateline if you need to come out to help in an emergency.
Instead, most staff prefer to use a tea point in the old ticket office, right next to the gateline.
Despite this practise having been ongoing for some time, with no issues whatsoever, management are insisting people stop using the tea point and only use the downstairs mess room.
Why? There’s no operational justification for this change, which will only lead to anger amongst CSAs.
Local RMT reps have been organising around the issue and have ensured it’s been taken up within the collective bargaining machinery. But the strength of feeling is such that, if the matter isn’t resolved, there’s a willingness to go further.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that are felt the most: messing around (no pun intend) with where workers are able to have a cuppa is an unnecessary wielding of managerial authority.
Have you had an experience of bosses messing around with breaks, mess rooms, tea points, or similar, in your station, depot, or workplace? Let Tubeworker know!
