RMT press releases

Tube Lines To Strike For Assurances On Jobs, Pay And Conditions

TUBE UNION RMT today announced strike dates on Tube Lines over the failure of TfL and the company to give concrete assurances on jobs, pay and working conditions.

Members will not book on for any shift commencing between 19.00 hours on Wednesday 23rd June 2010 and 18.59 on Friday 25th June 2010 and between 19.00 hours on Wednesday 14th July and 18.59 hours on Friday 16th July.

Private Profits Ring Fenced Whilst Modernisation And Maintenance Ditched

Announcements this week confirmed that the profits and subsidies of the private train operating companies are being ring-fenced while key modernisation, maintenance and upgrade works are being ditched in an all-out dash for cuts.

Network Rail boss Iain Coucher says publicly that Crossrail works have “not gone so far that they could not be stopped”

RMT Challenge UK Anti-Trade Union Laws In European Court of Human Rights

TRANSPORT UNION RMT announced today that it is launching an unprecedented challenge to the UK’s anti-trade union laws in the European Court of Human Rights.

Papers on behalf of RMT will be lodged with the European Court today by the union and its solicitors. RMT will argue on behalf of its members that its ability to organise industrial action to protect its members is restricted by UK law.

Government Attack On Transport Budgets means Crossrail, High Speed, Electrification And Tube Upgrades Under Threat

With the new ConDem government kicking off its cuts programme today, transport union RMT warned this morning that key transport projects, including Crossrail, High Speed rail, electrification and the Tube upgrades, are all at risk of being scrapped, scaled back or kicked into the long grass with the union forecasting that the national transport budget could be hacked back by up to 27%.

RMT Blasts Mayor’s “Transport Strategy” As A Smokescreen For Job Cuts

RMT blasts Mayor’s “transport strategy” as a smokescreen for job cuts, ticket office closures and attacks on safety standards

TUBE UNION RMT today blasted London Tory Mayor Boris Johnson for throwing up a smokescreen under the guise of a “Transport Strategy”, designed to deflect attention away from his multi-billion transport cuts package that threatens thousands of jobs, ticket office closures across the Capital and a systematic undermining of current safety standards.

Cuts Leave Tube Stations Unstaffed On 439 Occasions In The Past 6 Months

Figures obtained by RMT show that from October 2009 through to March 2010 surface level stations on the District, Central, Metropolitan, Circle & Hammersmith and Northern Lines were left unstaffed for entire shifts on a total of 439 occasions. One station, Mill Hill East, was left unstaffed for 95 entire shifts.

Current cuts plans being implemented by London Underground would see up to 800 ticket office, station and platform staff jobs axed creating a wave of ticket office closures and ushering in a culture of unstaffed tube stations, particularly late at night.

RMT Condemns “Death Trap” Proposals For Tube As Part Of Tory Mayor Boris Johnson’s Cuts Plan

TUBE UNION RMT today slammed proposed changes to London Underground train operations that the union has warned would turn station platforms into “death traps.”

Proposals submitted to RMT safety reps at the Trains Health and Safety Council (THSC), and titled the Operation Effectiveness Programme (OEP), would involve:

  • Detraining in a tunnel on your own.
  • departing Category A platforms alone with defective OPO equiptment.
  • Notching back into platforms after an overrun.

Scandal Of Tube Bosses On Huge Salaries Who Want To Slash Station Staff

A study by RMT of Transport for London’s latest accounts reveals that the number of managers earning between £70,000 and £99,000 had more than doubled to nearly 800 – which matches the number of front-line station staff that Tube bosses want to axe.

EVER MORE London Tube bosses are being paid telephone-number salaries while hundreds of front-line staff face the axe, the RMT union charges today.

Staff Our Stations - Strike Ballot Called

TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that they are preparing for a ballot of members for strike action and action short of a strike after London Underground failed to withdraw the threat of axing 800 staff.

“RMT has made it clear that we will not sit idly by while the Mayor, his transport officials and Tube Line’s drive down tube staffing levels to dangerously low levels. We gave LU and Tube Lines an opportunity to pull back from these cuts but they have decided to plough on leaving us with no option but to organise ballots.”