RMT Press Office

Overwhelming RMT votes for action in disputes over tube night running, pay, staffing, safety and use of agency staff

Ballots of RMT members concluded today in a series of disputes on London Underground, including the dispute over pay and night running, as the union warned again that working conditions, pay, jobs and safety are facing an almost unprecedented assault which has united all four tube unions in a campaign of resistance.

The ballot results are as follows:

Pay and Night Tube – 91.7% vote YES for strike action
96.5% vote YES for action short of a strike

Defending Jobs on London Underground – 91.8% vote YES for strike action
94.9% vote YES for action short of a strike

Introduction of agency trainers – 69.2% vote YES for strike action
92% vote YES for action short of a strike

Door alarm procedures – Jubilee Line – 93% vote YES for action short of strike

The issues in the separate disputes are:
• Pay and night running – with RMT demanding a fair deal for all staff including an above inflation pay increase, a safe and fully staffed tube at all times throughout night running, no enforced increase in night and weekend work and a shorter working week to improve work/life balance for all staff.
• Continuing threat to station staff jobs - imposition of rosters, lone working, displacement of staff, loss of 800 safety-critical jobs and detrimental changes to employment policies.
• Employment of agency staff to undertake training at Ruislip depot
• Changes to door alarm and safety check procedures on the Jubilee Line, removing driver authority over train safety.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

“Balloting has concluded today in a series of disputes on London Underground, including the linked issues of pay and night running, and also in the long running dispute over station staffing, mass job cuts and ticket office closures – each of the ballots has delivered an overwhelming mandate for action which will now be considered by the unions executive and a further statement will be issued by the union later.

“The industrial relations situation on the tube has sunk to an almost unprecedented low with all four unions united and balloting for action over pay and working arrangements due to be ushered in under the guise of the Mayor’s “night tube” vanity project in just 10 weeks time. Casualisation, the attack on station jobs and the undermining of safety are all part and parcel of an overall cash-driven agenda coming right from the very top.

“It is simply outrageous that management, in a mad dash to bulldoze through the night running stunt, have smashed apart long-term agreements and have resorted to trying to bully staff into accepting roster changes at a local level and the message from RMT and our sister unions is clear – we are not having it.

“These changes would also lock our members into a culture of anti-social hours and appalling working conditions that would rip apart work/life balance whilst at the same time they are being hit with pay proposals that would undermine their standard of living.

“RMT will be co-ordinating campaigning with our sister tube unions as we seek to defend negotiating agreements, decent pay and the rights and working conditions of our members.”

Ends