TUBE UNION RMT confirmed this morning that members across London Underground have delivered a rock solid mandate for strike action and action short of a strike in a fight over planned cuts to safety-critical jobs that the union have warned would turn the network into a death trap.
Assistant General Secretary Pat Sikorski discusses cuts to jobs at LU and changes to maintenance routines at London Underground. The interview took place whilst RMT activists were leafletting passengers at Euston station.
In the interview, conducted with Geoff Martin, Pat explains "We're telling everyone here at Euston that it's cuts in jobs in stations like this that is going to cost lives in the future....we had a fire in an escalator, the alarm failed to go off - it took alert station staff members to evacuate the station and save lives"
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TUBE UNION RMT is to leaflet rush-hour passengers at Euston station this Wednesday morning over cuts to safety and safety-critical jobs following revelations that fire detection systems at the station failed last month creating the potential for a major disaster that was only avoided by the actions of a vigilant member of station staff.
RMT also confirmed today that it has written to London Underground requesting that all fire detection equipment at sub-surface stations be inspected within the next 72 hours under Section 12 Fire Regulations which were introduced after Kings Cross.
TUBE UNION RMT today demanded a full external investigation into an escalator fire at Euston station four weeks ago where smoke detection systems failed and the station was only safely evacuated through the experience and vigilance of station-based staff. RMT have this morning referred the matter to the safety regulator the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
The Euston fire, which has close parallels with the Kings Cross disaster in 1987 one stop up the line, was caused by mechanical friction in the closed chamber underneath an escalator igniting accumulated dust. The incident happened on the 6th July.
TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it is preparing a ballot for action of all tube fleet maintenance staff following an announcement by London Underground that they plan to double the length of time between safety-critical train inspections from 14 days to 28 days.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Hardly a day goes by now without TfL and LU getting caught out playing fast and loose with staff and passenger safety. These fortnightly inspections identify worn brake blocks, cracks in securing brackets and other distressed components. Moving these inspections to monthly is literally dicing with death in the interests of saving money.
TUBE UNION RMT today condemned a threat by London Underground to rip up an existing agreement on job protection as “blatant intimidation and provocation of members who are currently balloting for action over tube safety and the threat to 800 station-based staff posts.”
Gerry Duffy, LU’s Director of Employee Relations, has written to both RMT and TSSA, who are also balloting for action, demanding that the current democratic votes of members be halted or he will tear up negotiated agreements and procedures – paving the way for a jobs massacre across the tube that would impact on all staff and all unions
You will shortly be receiving a ballot paper to your home address over the massive job cuts that LUL Management are planning. These disastrous cuts will result in detrimental working conditions and seriously undermine safety of staff and the travelling public.
The dangerous consequences of having 800 fewer staff have driven LUL to propose crazy safety changes so that drivers self despatch trains. Many of you will have heard the ludicrous idea of driverless trains being spread about in the media.
All grades will be affected by these savage job cuts which are only the beginning of LUL’s attempt to cut costs and we must fight them together.
AFTER MONTHS of accusing tube union RMT of scaremongering over the safety impact of cuts on London Underground, tube bosses this morning put their hands up and admitted that the cuts mean that services are running on dangerous and rotten infrastructure dating back to the 1920's with worse to come in terms of the risks to millions of passengers as the Government lines up further attacks on the TFL budget and the tube upgrade programme.
RMT underground members begin balloting today for strike action across the entire network over jobs and safety cuts.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
TUBE UNION RMT has welcomed the tabling of a motion at tomorrow’s London Mayor’s Question Time, in the names of Labour’s Val Shawcross and the Lib Dem’s Caroline Pidgeon, calling on Boris Johnson to review plans to axe 800 station staff jobs and to close or slash the opening times of 245 ticket offices.
TUBE UNION RMT today secured a massive victory for low paid workers as it was confirmed today that all tube cleaners will be paid the London Living Wage of £7.85 per hour backdated to the 1st of July.
RMT has mounted a long and hard campaign for the cleaners to be paid the London minimum and the final group, the Tube Lines cleaners working for ISS, will at last join their colleagues on a decent rate of pay from this month.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: