RMT to ballot Bakerloo train drivers to defend workmate

Drivers on the Bakerloo Line were shocked when Kevin Dobinson was summarily dismissed on May 28th.
Kevin had an aggravated SPAD at Queens Park, ie passed a signal at danger and carried on into the platform. The Line Controller called him up on the radio and realising his mistake he informed Control that he had reset the trip and carried on into the platform in error. Kevin owned up to his mistake. He did not attempt to cover this up or blame faulty signals or sunlight issues or any other notion for his mistake. As Kevin said in his train persons report “I thought BB2 cleared but now I realise I may have reacted to the points going across. I stupidly reset my trip and carried on into platform at which point Control called me and I told them what happened”.
Drivers are all too aware of people who made mistakes as serious as Kevin who are still driving trains or still employed by London Underground.
Comparable cases on the Bakerloo Line include not informing the Line Controller after passing a signal at danger in the wrong direction across a crossover at Paddington; another driver had a SPAD at Regents Park N/B and cut out the front trip and reversed the train back into the platform. One driver recently was disciplined for reading a newspaper while in operation of a train; another was disciplined for driving 33 miles an hour in a 20 mile an hour zone.
On the underground as a whole 21 drivers had aggravated SPADS the year before and 18 were still driving trains.
This is why there was disbelief when Kevin was wrongfully sacked by Bakerloo management.
In response over 160 drivers signed a petition to demand that Kevin is treated fairly. Even 6 DMTs wrote testimonials for Kevin to the Appeal chair, Rob Smith, Bakerloo Trains Performance Manager. All these ponts were relayed to Rob Smith. Further mitigating circumstance too personal to be outlined here were also brought to Rob Smith’s attention. At the initial disciplinary hearing, because of these personal problems Kevin said “he wasn’t thinking straight”.
Despite Rob Smith saying he would inform Kevin of his decision in 7 - 10 days, Rob Smith eventually got round to writing to Kevin about a month later. Shameful. In the old days you would get the result of an appeal after a few hours at most. And he didn’t even bother to mention Kevin’s personal problems when deciding not to re-instate Kevin. But this is Bakerloo management for you.
The RMT is balloting our train driver members on the line because Kevin Dobinson has been treated unfairly in the extreme. At the same time the union is pursuing a Directors Appeal.
Management cannot be allowed to get away with this - if they do, who will be next?
Vote YES to re-instate Dobbo!

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