RMT press releases

Tube union, RMT will take strike action on London Underground on October 4 and 6 over job losses and safety concerns.

The union has been locked in a long running dispute over 600 station staff cuts and detrimental working conditions since last year.

Safety concerns have also been raised regarding fewer staff facing higher workloads, more lone working and increased fatigue.

The job losses planned will affect every aspect of the tube including stations and maintenance, leading to the likelihood of more unstaffed stations and a lowering of safety standards.

RMT called on TfL to end its cuts programme, which is forcing repeated station closures across the network, opening staff up to abuse from frustrated passengers.

TfL has had its funding from central government dramatically cut but instead of standing up to ministers, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is cutting 600 staff and implementing a new rostering system that does not work.

Spending cuts, job losses and pension attacks must end, RMT has told the London Mayor today.

The tube union wrote to Sadiq Khan today, emphasising the importance of station staff to the safe running of London Underground and the need for the mayor to resist Tory budget cuts. 

In the letter, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch wrote: "Stations were closed on 2115 occasions last year, compared with a pre-pandemic high of 649. Of course, this is only a figure for closures. More often, stations will have been left open with no staff.

Protect the right to strike! What we do next - TUC Organising Call and date for National Day of Action

On Monday thousands of trade unionists and workers descended on the UK Parliament to protest the Conservative Government's draconian new anti-strike Bill and send a clear message to the Government that we will relentlessly fight this fundamental attack on our democratic and human rights to withdraw our labour.

I would like to thank each and every one of you that turned out for the Emergency Demo and for the continued support of those that couldn't make it.

Last night thousands of trade unionists and workers descended on Parliament to protest the Conservative Government's draconian new anti-strike Bill and send a clear message to the Government that we will relentlessly fight this fundamental attack on our democratic and human rights to withdraw our labour.

I would like to thank each and every one of you that turned out for the Emergency Demo and for the continued support of those that couldn't make it.

Dear colleague,

RMT campaign wins cleaners free travel

On Sunday the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced that from April next year ABM cleaners will be given the same free travel as other directly employed TfL staff. The Mayor also announced that he will instruct TfL to look at ensuring cleaners get sick pay and will review again the outsourcing contract with ABM in April 2023.

RMT today welcomed the news that heroic cleaners on London’s Underground network will receive free travel on Transport for London services as of the new financial year.

Following a long campaign fought by the union, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has today announced that the cleaners, who are outsourced to US company ABM, will finally get the free travel given to directly employed TfL staff. The Mayor has also asked TfL to look into making sure the cleaners get sick pay and to assess whether they can finally be brought in-house in April 2023.

Responding to the Chancellor's comments in his mini budget on further restrictions for unions, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said:

"We already have the most severe anti-democratic trade union laws in Western Europe and this latest threat will rightly enrage our members.

"The government should be working towards a negotiated settlement in the national rail dispute, not seeking to make it even harder to take effective strike action.