« Any attempt to make tube and TfL workers pay will be met with a ballot for strike action

« RMT is mounting a political campaign to demand full government funding for public transport at this time.

« If the banks could be saved after 2008 then the jobs of working people and public services can be bailed out now.

The idea that TfL could operate without government subsidy was always ridiculous. It was based on the fairy-tale of a never-ending increase in passenger numbers. The Covid pandemic has brought the crisis to a head quicker than anyone would have imagined this time last year. But it was a crisis that was always going to hit sooner or later.

The government and Mayor of London said they would agree a future funding arrangement by the end of September. They didn’t. They then said they would announce a new funding arrangement before the existing deal ran out on 17 October. They have failed to deliver that too. Now we’re told that TfL has been funded by government until the end of October. Who knows what we’ll be faced with then?

Tory members of the London Assembly want your staff passes. They want to cut your pay by increasing employee pension contributions. The Mayor has shown that he’s only too happy to pass cuts on to workers on the tube and in TfL. Meanwhile the government is demanding TfL extend the congestion zone and remove freedom passes.

RMT has a very clear position. We oppose passengers having to pay higher fares. We oppose the withdrawal of freedom passes. We will fight with everything we’ve got to defend members jobs, pay and conditions.

Can London afford to maintain tube workers pay and conditions? Yes. Introducing a similar level of public support to the tube as is provided by New York, Paris and other world cities for their subway and Metro systems would allow TFL to continue operating its services without fare increases or attacks on workers.

We must send a message to the mayor and to government. RMT will not accept any loss of jobs or deterioration in pay or conditions to make up for missing government subsidy. Get ready to strike if the bosses don’t listen.

RMT has demanded an assurance from LUL that there will be no job losses and no deterioration in conditions as a result of the TfL budget crisis. If these assurances are not given then we will be in dispute.