DLR Staff to Strike over 3-Car Running

DLRRMT members on Docklands Light Railway will strike on 23-26 June after the company refused to give workers any reward for their co-operation with the introduction of new three-car trains.

The extra carriage on each train means that PSAs work with 50% more capacity, so in effect, DLR is saving the cost of half a PSA - around £25,000 - per train. Yet it refuses to share the benefits of three-car running with staff.

PSAs and Panel Control Team Leaders voted 109-18 (86%) for strikes and 114-12 (90%) for action short of strikes. As well as the three-day strike, they will not work overtime on Monday 28 June.

More than 50 staff attended a meeting held by the RMT DLR branch on Friday, and discussed the issues in the dispute. Staff feel strongly that they have shown the company a great deal of goodwill over the years but have received little in return. In the DLR's 15-year history, its passenger numbers have risen from 40,000 to 80 million per year, and yet instead of seeing an equivalent improvement in their pay and conditions, employees have lost bonuses and now face an increased workload without reward.