Bakerloo tube workers resist the cuts

The support for the joint RMT and TSSA strike against the job cuts on November 3rd was immense.

The Bakerloo Branch would like to congratulate all members for their solidarity and determination to resist the attacks on our job from the tube bosses. Once again management were stretched in their attempts to run a service. During the whole of the day and even during the peak hours only a pathetic shuttle service ran between Elephant & Castle and Queens Park. The most remarkable point to note is that during the peak Bakerloo trains were only stopping at 5 stations - Elephant & Castle, Waterloo, Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Queens Park, this when we should be providing a service to 26 stations across the whole of the line.

The 5 stations that were open were "staffed" by senior managers and office staff from TFL. The poor 'train operations manager' at Elephant had to put a shift in on the barriers to keep the station open. And one of the TFL managers had high heels on - don't they know this is against safety rules?

Once again the DMTs at Elephant came out en masse in support of the strike and management were forced to use DMTs from elsewhere to book on those drivers (who use the cover of being members of another organisation) who shamed themselves by crossing picket lines.

The RMT would like to thank those drivers who respected our picket lines. Your solidarity will not be forgotten.

The Elephant & Castle afternoon pickets were delighted when a flag waving delegation to a London conference of youth delegates from the International Transport Federation marched to the picket to show their solidarity. 30 delegates from the Sudan, Australia, Bulgaria, Spain, Norway and elsewhere joined the pickets for a rally outside the station. The youth delegates heard from the pickets why London's tube workers were taking strike action and spoke themselves on why workers across the world should resist the austerity cuts across all nations. [Read the ITF's report of the picket line visit here.]

Bakerloo management and the BTP were in a tizz on this expression of solidarity at the Elephant. All tube workers can take heart from this fantastic expression of solidarity from these young trade unionists.

Victory to the RMT/TSSA fight against the cuts!