Tubeworker's blog

Cleaners' Victory Stalled

Cleaners employed by ICS and Initial are not receiving the London Living Wage, even though they are contrated by Metronet, who have promised it.

In negotiations, the full London Living Wage to be paid on TubeLines does not look secure. It looks like that the money is not forthcoming, so RMT will...

US Election: What Choice For Workers?

America will vote in the 'world's most powerful person' in November. George Bush has become a hate figure for the big money and world-conquering ambitions of the US. But will the world be a better place when he's gone?

The Republican candidate, John McCain, promises more of the same, but with an...

Management On The Offensive

Look at the attacks that management on LU are throwing at us ...

The Special Requirements Team are being used to cover duties, when they should only be used for special events. New CSAs are being put into the SRT without any choice.

Staff are being threatened with forcible displacement on Edgware...

Defend Andy: Metronet Raises The Stakes

Metronet not only continues to victimise RMT rep Andy Littlechild, it has also turned its sights on several other reps too. The company's intention could not be more obvious: to clear the decks of assertive, effetive union reps so as to attack working conditions unchallenged. That's why must all...

Collapsing Cab Seat

Tip to Central Line trains management. When you install new seats in the cabs, make sure that they are securely fixed. And when a union health & safety rep repeatedly points out to you that they are not, take some notice.

Otherwise, what inevitably happens is what happened last week. The seat...

Defend Karl Niles

Karl Niles has worked for the Underground for 19 years. He has asthma. He works as a CSA in a Section 12 station (Pimlico) on the dustiest line on the combine (the Vic line).

Or he did work there. He doesn't work anywhere now, because London Underground has sacked him - and has upheld the sacking...

Can The Unions Defend Their Members?

Several recent cases have brought into question how effectively our unions can defend workers when they are sacked. We currently face important battles to defend Andy Littlechild, Karl Niles and Sarah Hutchins, so it is important that we look at these recent cases - what has gone wrong, what has...

Not a good start for the SRT

This is the first week of the SRT working on stations. Tubeworker has spotted a few problems..........

The SRT seem to be causing resentment wherever they go. People feel they are 'stealing overtime'. While tubeworker is not a fan of overtime - it usually means management are not covering...

Kings Cross Staff Walk Out Against Management Abuses

Yesterday morning, ticket office staff at Kings Cross walked out when management once again broke their own rules by using a member of the Special Requirements Team (SRT) to cover a duty. The whole point of the SRT is that it provides additional staff tomeet special requirements; it must not cover...

Metronet: Defend Our Rep, Defend Our Working Conditions

The proverbial has well and truly hit the fan on Metronet, as management have suspended a leading union rep, amidst their attempts to attack working conditions.

Management summarily suspended Andy Littlechild in the middle of the night on trumped-up charges. Andy has been an active, committed and...

'Speak up'!

Management are making their presence felt with unusual enthusiasm at the moment as this year's 'Speak up!' survey is due. They will come round to LU staff, telling us that the company values our opinions and this is our chance to have our say.

They will also tell you that the group gets points for...

Forcing CSAs off their group - again!

Eleven reserve CSA’s on the Goodge Street Group were sent letters last week warning them that they could be moved from their current group, which is over-establishment, to one that is under. Management have revealed their callous disregard for the lives of the staff they employ and another attempt...

Defending Ourselves From Economic Crisis

To see CBS poster workers and TubeLines standing up for inflation-plus pay rises last month showed the way forward for workers in LUL, TfL and others as we build towards a fight over next year's pay rise.

But passengers and the wider public were heard arguing, 'While I normally agree with...

Elephant Ticket Office: A comedy of errors

The story of Elephant & Castle's Northern Line ticket office is a farce. Five years ago it was refurbished. But there was a problem: the new service counter was too low for staff to sit and serve customers in comfort.

Because Brixton station closed at the same time following the discovery of...

Tribunal Rules GSM Sacked SAMF Unfairly

LUL has got itself a legal kicking, as one of our sacked workmates has won his claim of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination at Employment Tribunal.

Given that courts and Tribunals regularly let bosses get away with pretty much anything short of murder - and occasionally, actuality murder...

Jerome Bowes: the opposition plays dirty

Some anonymous clown has put up notices at Elephant & Castle depot showing images from the CCTV recording of the incident that led to Jerome Bowes' sacking. They even had the cheek to append an RMT logo. Ha ha. Given that this recording 'belongs' to management and that very few people have access to...

Wood Lane Rosters Joke

LUL intends to open the new Wood Lane station next month, but seems to have overlooked staffing it properly.

Its planned rosters - which union reps reject - do not provide enough staff for what is going to be a very busy station. To add insult to injury, the rosters also rely on rostered Edgware...

Steve Hedley for RMT Regional Organiser

Tubeworker is backing Steve Hedley in the election for RMT Regional Organiser. Here, we interview him about the key issues in the election ...

Q. What is the role of Regional Organiser that you are standing for?

A. Our region – the London Transport region of the RMT - covers everybody that was...

SRT: Are You Familiar?

The Special Requirements Team is now being familiarised in zone one stations. They are being shown around three or four stations in a day for a period before they start work.

They could find themselves working at stations where they were familiarised three months ago. 'Familiarisation' seems to be...

Cutting costs, cutting staff

Management let slip at one of their 'Northern line meetings' their latest plans to cut costs, which involves ... (no surprise)... cutting back on staff!

There will be an overall reduction in the number of reserve staff, people who are transfered or promoted will not be replaced. The result? More...

Auto-Completion Unfairness

'Auto-completion' seemed to be playing some kind of joke on passengers over the bank holiday weekend - which of course made life more difficult for staff too.

PAYG customers were charged £2 for a single journey from stations like Greenford to Notting Hill Gate, although the advertised price is £1...

Operating Cost Review

LUL management has announced an 'Operating Cost Review'. Ominous or what? We can safely assume that this will not conclude that the company should spend more money on more staff, better pay and conditions, and improving safety, facilities and services for the passengers, while making a few economies...

Elephant & Castle drivers: Vote Yes!

Jerome Bowes' workmates are escalating the fight for his reinstatement, with RMT balloting Elephant & Castle drivers so that they can join station staff on the next strike.

Many drivers know and like Jerome, but whether they know him or not, can see the blatant injustice in his sacking. It has come...

Support And Unite These Disputes

On Friday 22 August, station staff on East Ham and Charing Cross groups walked out for 24 hours against unfair sackings. Rickmansworth group continues to fight against unfair displacements, and Waterloo group staff have voted by 90% to strike over the sacking of Mo Makboul (we still await the RMT...

CBS Outdoor Win

Workers at CBS Outdoor have won better pay after striking. The 100% solid 4-day strike was a product of bitterness against management and inspirational rank-and-file workplace organising by the union reps.

When pay talks started last year, CBS offered 2.5%. Negotiations built that up to 4.2%...

Steve 4 RO

Tubeworker is backing Steve Hedley in the election for RMT Regional Organiser.

On the key issues within the union - democracy, rank-and-file control, willingness to take on the employers, commitment to cross-grades unity and an active organising strategy, Steve is on the right side. We will carry...

Stuck In The Lift

23 people, including a child, were stuck in the lift at Elephant & Castle for nearly an hour and a half last Friday. Why? Because LUL had staffed up the station with scab managers to keep it open during the station staff's strike, and they didn't seem to have a clue how to actually work the lifts...

Cleaners' Victory: A 'Tubeworker' Assessment

RMT cleaners have achieved an important success - the 'London living wage' for all Tube cleaners. It was won by brave and determined efforts by a vulnerable section of workers and their supporters, and should inspire and provide an example for others.

This has been a campaign of perhaps historic...

Was RMT right to suspend the TubeLines strike?

RMT has suspended its strike action after TubeLines made the following two-year offer:

Year 1:

  • 4.99% pay rise, backdated to 1st April 2008.
  • Apprentices and other grades on less than £20,000 to receive £1,000 pay rise backdated to 1 April 2008.
  • Points Technicians to receive 4.99% plus a further...

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