RMT press release, issued today

POWER WORKERS responsible for finding and fixing faults on the London Tube’s power supply will begin the first of six new overnight strikes at 19:59 on Sunday (February 1) after employer EDF Energy Powerlink again failed to deliver pay parity with non-shift colleagues.

The two dozen ‘shift testers’, who have already stopped work three times, will also strike for 12 hours starting at 19:59 on February 4, 11, 15 and 22 and March 1.

Since November 16 they have also made themselves unavailable for work after the end of any turns of duty unless there is a direct and imminent danger to human life.

“This dispute is about nothing more or less than pay parity with day-work colleagues who received a £3,000 pay rise in exchange for flexibility in signing on and off,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today

“Shift testers have also delivered flexibility and have seen their work-life balance turned upside down by the change from 10-hour days and 14-hour nights to a 12-hour shift system.

“We are not asking for anything that hasn’t already been paid out to others, and we are merely asking the company to right a wrong.

“Our members have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout this dispute, and all that it would take to settle it is recognition by EDF Energy Powerlink that it should treat its workforce with equality,” Bob Crow said.

ends

Note to editors: Shift testers are responsible for the highly skilled work of finding and fixing faults at London Underground’s more than 250 power sub-stations and maintaining the power supply.

In ballots that closed on October 28, RMT members voted by 21 to two for strike action and by 22 to one for action short of strikes.