LU management is gearing up to test driverless trains. The test drives could start as early as next month.
After months and years of people speculating, predicting and seeing it coming, it has come. It's time to fight.
First up, we should not be in the business of building our own gallows. Those grades who test-drive trains - whether that be test train drivers, SSTOs, Transplant drivers or anyone else - should refuse to do so. If that needs an industrial action ballot by both unions, so be it.
Next, we don't leave these relatively small groups of drivers to fight this alone - this is a fight for all drivers and ultimately for all grades. It should be tied in with the fight to defend station staffing and ticket-selling jobs, stop casualisation via agencies and ICSAs, and stop job cuts in service control.
Every move like this is a move to scrap our jobs. Every step forward that management take is a stepback for us. It's time to draw a line in the sand.
Update
It now looks like LU management are throwing up their hands in denial, blaming tube Lines and its contractor Thales for floating this idea. Apparently, for LUL it is 'too costly' and 'miles away' - though the company doesn't say how many miles!
But at least this alert should wake up those who may doubt that bad things are coming our way. But to be honest, most Tube workers know that - what is lacking is a level of confidence and organisation to stop those bad things. Recent wins - whether that be our anti-victimisation battles or service control job security - have turned a tide of previous defeats, and should allow us to feel that we can win if we follow the right strategies.
That means the unions getting out round the workplaces, signing up non-members, giving out information and listening to our views. And it means resisting every measure that management take to prepare for job cuts rather than waiting for those job cuts to be announced.