RMT press releases

RMT general secretary Bob Crow warns of hard year of campaigning and action ahead in New Year message.

"No one should be under any illusions. 2014 will be a tough year for Britain's workers as the Government ratchets up its attacks on workers rights and public services. Cuts are set to escalate and only militant and coordinated action across workplaces and communities can stop the bulldozer of austerity

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said.

“Just as the private train companies are closing down services due to adverse weather they are publishing fare increases which massively outstrip wages and which will once again hit low to medium earners where it hurts. The great private rail rip off continues.

Following a ballot for strike action which resulted in an overwhelming 88% vote in favour in a dispute over the systematic abuse of drivers and the unilateral ripping up of negotiated agreements, all RMT Train Operators and Instructor Operators on the Piccadilly Line are instructed to not book on for any turns of duty that commence between: -

12:00 hours on Wednesday 4th December 2013 and 11:59 hours on Thursday 5th December 2013.

RAIL UNION RMT today called for a halt to planned cuts to Network Rail budgets and staffing levels, and a programme of immediate investment and recruitment in maintenance and renewals, as the regulator, the Office of Rail Regulation, backed the unions case that the cuts are reducing passenger services to tatters.

The ORR, which also sets the Network Rail budget, said that “underspends” [ie cuts] on maintenance work, deferred plans to renew infrastructure, and other factors including engineering works overruns are leading to severe delays for both passenger and freight services.

• Union willing to discuss any proposals to extend services.
• TfL press statement untrue

We note and adopt the report of our Southern Sub-Committee.

Further, we note the press statement by Transport for London dated 26 November, stating that our industrial action ballot is ‘in response to plans unveiled last week to run parts of the Tube for 24 hours at weekends during 2015, and to make staff more visible at stations’.

Tube union RMT has hit back at what it describes as “lies and dirty tricks” from the management side in the dispute over cuts to jobs and ticket offices that would rip-apart the safety regime, and threaten staffing, across the tube network.

In a message on its website, LU/TFL claims that RMT is;

“…..to ballot their members on London Underground (LU) in response to plans unveiled last week to run parts of the Tube for 24 hours at weekends during 2015.”

Union believes that LU’s plans to close all its ticket offices and remove nearly 1,000 staff from stations will make women passengers more vulnerable to assault

On the day designated by the United National to highlight and oppose violence against women http, rail union RMT has revealed that while some employers are working with the union to develop a policy on domestic violence, London Underground has refused to do so. The union also believes that LU’s plans to close all its ticket offices and remove nearly 1,000 staff from stations will make women passengers more vulnerable to assault.

A survey last year conducted by the End Violence Against Women coalition revealed that 14% of women (including 31% of women aged 18-24) have experienced unwanted sexual attention while travelling on London’s public transport.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union today confirmed a ballot for Industrial action over a plan for devastating Job cuts on London Underground.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “RMT members have now had a chance to study in detail the proposals put forward last week by London Underground which would axe almost a thousand staff jobs and close all ticket offices across the network. RMT has also now had a chance to thoroughly examine the risk assessment documents passed to the union by the tube management.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“No matter how this is dressed up by Boris Johnson and his officials, today’s announcement is all about slashing £270 million from the annual London transport budget and the proposed cuts will decimate staffing levels and hit the most vulnerable users of tube services the hardest. The mayor must believe he is some sort of magician if he thinks he can slash a thousand jobs and still run safe services when everyone knows that staffing has already been cut to the bone while passenger demand continues to rise.

TUBE UNION RMT warned today that they have been notified by London Underground that a major announcement on jobs, services and safety cuts is due to made to senior union representatives at 9am tomorrow – Thursday 21st November.

The announcement was trailed by tube boss Mike Brown at a recent meeting of the London Assembly where he confirmed that ticket offices, station and platform staffing and other safety critical posts would be threatened in response to £225 million annual cuts imposed on TFL in the Government Spending Review.