LUL management seem to be on a frenzy of getting us to fill in forms.
First, there was the ticket office window check form, where staff have to sign every 15 minutes that their TOM has been in action, and write an explanation if it has not been.
Then, there came the PA check form, where the...
At the 'Off The Rails' national meeting last year, we discussed how to fight disputes effectively, and put together a list of 'Do's and 'Don't's which included DON'T, unless you have to, strike over two separate issues (after all, what do you do if management cave in on one dependant on you caving...
Unless management reverse their outrageous sacking of Mukesh Mahatma, his workmates on Canary Wharf group will strike on the next two Mondays.
Having delivered a decisive Yes vote in the strike ballot, Canary Wharf group staff obviously understand what is at stake. If LUL gets away with...
Service control staff were barely out of one naff 'restructuring' than we faced another. This time, it is all about 'upgrading' to super new control centres. This may sound like the way forward for the future of service control - the problem is the way that management are treating workers in the...
Management were supposed to produce the Business Needs Schematics for the ex-Silverlink stations months ago. Then weeks ago. Then last week. But still ... Nothing.
The BNS is the chart that shows what duties need to be done on a station during the 24 hours of a day. The rosters are then built...
At Earls Court control centre, management have introduced 'corrective action plans'. A member of staff gets so many 'items' and they are hauled off by a manager to 'agree' and implement a plan.
But there was no consultation with the union, and there is no involvement of reps in the process...
Back in early February, there was a suspected one-under at Kenton, which came to light when a Virgin train stopped short at Harrow & Wealdstone early in the morning.
Just after 8am, line control phoned Harrow & Wealdstone and asked for ONE CSA to go to Kenton to do detrainments. Yes, that's one...
For the seventh time, Bakerloo line detrainment staff are taking a day's strike action today. The action conveniently coincides with the Spurs-Chelsea Carling Cup Final at Wembley, meaning that the managers and RCIs doing the strikers' duties could have a torrid time this afternoon. Our hearts bleed...
On Saturday 5 April, the Tubeworker crew is off to Nottingham, for a dayschool for trade unionists organised by Workers' Liberty. The discussions and training at this event will help us with producing effective leaflets and bulletins like Tubeworker, and help us to get a better understanding of the...
It seems that staff destined for the Heathrow Terminal 5 are to be trained at Queen's Park station in detrainments.
But Heathrow T5 is to be staffed by non-LUL staff, so why are we letting them train on our stations?!
This has no doubt been agreed with LUL management. Pity they didn't agree it...
A former driver has won a legal case against LUL after the company's inadequate training caused her to develop a condition that stopped her being able to drive.
Here's RMT's press release ...
A COURT of Appeal ruling yesterday that London Underground failed to provide proper training to a driver...
In a recent one-under at West Finchley, the driver was understandably too traumatised to do anything. On his own, the station supervisor evacuated the train and the station, got the current switched off, checked the site, dealt with the emergency services, put SCDs down.
He was on his own for half...
When CCTV cameras fail - as recently at Euston - the procedure seems to be that staff are positioned in all areas of the station regardless.
But doesn't this inherently put staff at risk, asking us to be on our own in areas where there are no cameras? There are not enough staff for us to be...
Management have decided that all Station Supervisors have to attend a 'inclusion, equality and diversity' course. Many people will think teaching people how to be 'politically correct' is a waste of time, some will think that the Underground is a very diverse workplace anyway and that we know all we...
It seems that on the Northern line, TOMs are using their power to decide what is a one-under and what is a near miss.
Drivers are having to fight for the support they need from management and in some cases their pay has been withdrawn.
It is an insult to the trauma a driver experiences. The unions...
Management have again been covering stations without a station supervisor.
Edgware was recently staffed by an SAMF alone. Management are willing to risk safety and huge disruption for passengers by not having an SS around to secure points - especially at Edgware!
On East Ham grouop, the GSM took...
Despite promising not to let it happen again, management have once again allowed cash to be carried on a train from one station to another on the north end of the Bakerloo line. Over a grand took the trip from Kensal Green to Harrow & Wealdstone with a DSM late at night.
To make matters worse, the...
RMT has called off its strike dates in defence of Sarah Appleby. Ostensibly, this is for 'further talks', but with no sign of management reinstating Sarah, it looks like a climbdown from here.
Given that RMT members at Morden had asked for a strike ballot, and voted Yes in the ballot, it would seem...
You would think that your health and safety rep was entitled to inspect all the areas where you work, right?
Well yes, legally (1977 regulations - 'Brown Book' - to be precise). But apparently the law does not apply to the East Ham group, where the local GSM believes that stations health & safety...
The good news is that the RMT leadership has responded to the arguments of rank-and-file activists and agreed to an all-grades ballot against casualisation and de-staffing. This matters a lot, particularly as it is the only union with any significant membership in more than one group of grades.
The...
Today's Evening Standard leads on the story of impending strike action by RMT and TSSA. The most interesting thing - other than the 'any publicity is good publicity' angle - is that even a right-wing rag like the Standard can not argue with the justness of the unions' demands. It just thinks that we...
Following LUL's sacking of DMT Sarah Appleby, RMT members at Morden depot have voted for strike action.
The union's Executive has called two one-day strikes, on 12 February and 4 March. Everyone should now be working hard for a 100% turnout. ASLEF members should join the action by refusing to cross...
Just in case you were thinking that everything is now hunky-dory in Metronet-land, think again. The company's return to TfL has been postponed, Bombardier is insisting that it owns a couple of hundred of the staff, and most workers are still denied terms and conditions they would have enjoyed had...
You would think that the utter chaos in the internal promotion system would make management realise that privatising it - they handed it over to Reed a few years back - was a really bad idea.
Well, LUL has noticed that Reed is crap, but has decided that the solution is not to bring the...
Tower Hill Group management has sacked two young probationers Tomi David and Eva Bayford. Their RMT workmates on the group and the rest of the District Line are preparing for action to win their jobs back and defend probationers' rights.
LUL is very proud of its new acquisitions from Silverlink. Shame it doesn't put the effort in.
At Queens Park last week, the ticket office remained closed for three days or more, with the gateline powered down. That's what it was like in the 'bad old days' under Silverlink, and just the sort of...
Elm Park has had a bit of trouble with its OPO equipment, meaning that the platform had to be staffed to give drivers the right (or 'assisted despatch' as we are all supposed to call in now).
The problem was that at one point, there was only one member of staff on the station - the Station...
While management still seem to be in denial about the dangers of detraining alone, an incident happened at Queens Park last week that should wake even them from their slumbers.
At about quarter to midnight, a train that had showed a destination of Harrow & Wealdstone had to be tipped out at Queens...
Tubeworker wonders whether duty managers actually read policies before using them to bash staff.
For instance, there is a line in the attendance policy that clearly states that if someone has a year's faultless attendance previous to the items that trigger the policy, then you should not send them...
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