Tubeworker's blog

Despite being back to normal rosters, stations are struggling with coverage due to sickness absence management not filling vacancies (and not employing enough staff).

CSMs and CSSs do their best to juggle coverage to keep stations open, but there are limits to what is acceptable in order to do this...

Update (2 July): Management have backed down in the face of union opposition. But they have made it clear that they will be back to try this again in future. Tubeworker does not believe that there is any point at which it is OK to discipline someone for not coming to work with a deadly virus. The...

With the pandemic very much still ongoing, we're bound to see more mini-outbreaks at workplaces such as stations and depots, with multiple workmates testing positive.

Management must put safety, and not the need to get duties covered, first.

A generic email saying something along the lines of...

Despite 74% of those who returned their ballot papers voting to strike, RMT will not be able to call action to win reinstatement for unjustly sacked colleague Gary Carney.

With a turnout of 48%, the ballot result falls just short of the arbitrary 50% threshold applied by the Tories' anti-union laws...

Drivers in the RMT have voted for strikes against LU's abolition of the Night Tube driver grade, and the consolidation of Night Tube shifts into full-time driver rosters.

As we wrote previously: "This will mean fewer train operator jobs, increased night and weekend working for full time train...

A joint meeting of the Company Councils for TfL, LU, and ex-TubeLines, the highest negotiating body in each company, on 23 June reiterated the bosses' position that TfL's financial situation makes cuts inevitable.

Although there was no concrete detail in management's presentation, its essential...

Cash acceptance will return at stations over the coming weeks.

Overall, this is a good thing - withdrawal of cash acceptance systematically disadvantages poorer passengers, who are less likely to use bank cards, and can lead to increased abuse of staff. Longer term it also threatens jobs, as LU...

Promotional PAs advertising ITV's Love Island at Oxford Circus had to be modified after both passengers and staff found them unbearable. The musical jingle intro and outro to the announcements provoked numerous complaints, and the PAs were eventually altered so they were only played in limited areas...

Cleaning contractor ABM has unveiled a new yellow hi-vis vest as part of cleaners' uniforms.

The printing and graphics are bit toned down than the previous one, but the bright colour still ensures cleaners are often some of the most visible staff around, especially in stations, meaning cleaners are...

Suicide prevention situations are often very tricky - but as a recent incident at Wood Green shows, heavy-handed policing does not help.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. A passenger had made it known that they wanted to end their life, and staff and bystanders went into...

The Department for Transport (DfT) has given Transport for London (TfL) another funding bailout, which guarantees its operations for the next six months. The bailout is the latest in a series of similar packages negotiated throughout the pandemic, all of which have been an opportunity for the...

RMT is balloting driver members across LU for industrial action to win reinstatement for unjustly sacked rep Gary “Gash” Carney.

The ballot opens on 28 May and runs until 29 June. Tubeworker encouragres all RMT driver readers to vote yes, and drivers in Aslef to respect prospective RMT picket lines...

Since Mitie took over the TfL/LU security contract from Interserve, there’s been a spike in overbearing and disciplinarian management practises.

Security workers are getting organised via RMT. The union must ensure they are supported and empowered to fight back against this culture of management...

Floor markers indicating a tiny “staff only” square, of 1m by 1m, have started to appear on platforms.

This is clearly in preparation for the return of SATS, platform duties for station staff. Presumably this is LU’s way of helping us maintain distancing from passengers.

Expecting staff to spend...

London Underground has unilaterally incorporated Night Tube train operator duties into full-time train operators' rosters, consolidating the former TO23 (Night Tube) and TO21 (full-time) T/Op grades into a single grade.

This will mean fewer train operator jobs, increased night and weekend working...

The government has extended TfL's funding to 28 May. Negotiations between TfL, City Hall, and the Department for Transport continue.

The current pattern of short-term funding bailouts is unsustainable. It suits the Tories, as every round of negotiations is another opportunity to attempt to attach...

Central Line drivers will strike from 21:00 on 5 May to 20:59 on 6 May, as the campaign to win reinstatement for unjustly sacked RMT rep Gary Carney steps up.

Gary was sacked for allegedly “avoiding” a Drugs and Alcohol test, despite having booked off sick before he was even informed about the...

Management have decided that from 16 May, station staff can resolve passengers' journeys on POMs.

This was suspended at the start of the pandemic, to minimise close contact between staff and passengers. So, why resume it so soon? On 16 May, plenty of lockdown restrictions will still be in place...

With Andy Byford confirming that Night Tube will not return before 2022, there seems to be separate arrangements taking place between stations and Trains. Both Aslef and RMT have argued that night tube drivers should be allowed to go full time rather than the punishing secondments many have been...

Sadiq Khan's manifesto for the 6 May London mayoral elections contains a great deal about transport. Tubeworker will comment further on other aspects of it in the future: we want to pick up on just one here.

The manifesto goes further than Khan has gone previously towards indicating the in-housing...

As we prepare for the reopening of non-essential shops, and some bars and restaurants, on 12 April, we're seeing a push on some stations to water down Covid safety arrangements. We need to push back.

We need sufficient staff on stations to operate them safely. But as long as we can do that with...

RMT drivers at Queen's Park depot have voted by a 99% majority for strikes to stop job cuts, after an active campaign to get the vote out.

LU bosses want to cut the workforce by around 10%. Although RMT reps have already won a guarantee that no driver will be displaced, the union is rightly...

Central Line drivers in RMT are balloting for industrial action to win reinstatement for unjustly sacked rep Gary Carney.

Gary was sacked for allegedly avoiding a Drugs & Alcohol test he was never informed about. The ballot opened on 15 March, and closes on 13 April.

Tubeworker encourages all...

Hammersmith Service Control staff are forced to work in a building that’s unfit for purpose.

On top of which, they’re battling short staffing, unworkable rosters, and LU’s use of temporary staff on zero-hours contracts.

RMT has rightly declared a dispute. Any goodwill towards the company has...

The murder of Sarah Everard has drawn public attention and protests against the violence and harassment endured by women.

Over two hundred women are killed each year in Britain. Unlike Sarah, most are killed by men they know, and many of them – perhaps especially those who are not white...

Drivers in RMT at Queen's Park depot have commenced their ballot for industrial action to stop job cuts. LU wants to slash the workforce at the depot by more than 10%.

LU claims the cuts are necessary due to a service reduction. But local union reps have continually pressed the company to "open...

District line drivers were due to start industrial action this weekend, as the company ploughs ahead with its imposition of ATO (SMA3) without adequate support or training.

But RMT has called off the action after the company threatened to seek a court injunction against it. Tubeworker understands...

LUL management seem determined to impose automatic train operation (ATO) even in teh largest and most complex depots and sidings.

Every Tube worker knows that depots and sidings contain extra hazards. Unpredictable train movements, people walking across the track, cleaning and maintenance work and...

We've previously reported on LU's plan to slash around 10% of the driver workforce at Queen's Park depot.

Negotiations over the issue have hit the wall, and RMT's Bakerloo branch has now declared a ballot of Queen's Park drivers for action to resist the cuts.

The ballot runs from 25 March to 8...

Aslef drivers across LU have voted by a thumping 97.3% majority for industrial action to protect terms and conditions. The union is yet to name any action, but it's a resounding vote that will send a clear message to the bosses.

With LU's financial future in doubt, the bosses have our terms and...