Bank staff were alarmed to find out that the Kone standby escalator engineer was to be removed from the station. With massive project work on ancient and fragile escalators, the station needs an engineer permanently available, not at the end of a lengthy phone line. But those who held the purse strings felt that £4,000 per week was far too princely a sum to pay for the safety of the station, its staff and its passengers.
The good news is that a rapid flurry of protests from staff and union reps soon brought about a U-turn, and the engineer is back on site. It's a lesson to us all: don't take attacks on our safety lying down. Make a fuss, and chances are you might get a result.
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