Tube workers balloted for strike over threatened job cuts
Tube workers balloted for strike over threatened job cuts
Wednesday 31st March 2010
London Underground (LU) workers are to be balloted for strike action by the transport union in a row over job cuts.The dispute is over threats by LU to cut 800 jobs, a decision the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union says is "scandalous".
LU said in a statement that the threat of strike action was "unjustified and kneejerk". The company's director Richard Parry added: "The changes we are proposing are vital to ensure we can deliver a safer, more frequent tube service in future.
"We are committed to customer service and to protecting London Underground's excellent and improving safety record.
"The threat of strike action by the RMT is unjustified and kneejerk at this very early stage of the consultation process.
"Their members will be best served by meaningful discussion not strike threats."
However, the RMT has said the job cuts would turn the London Underground into a "mugger's paradise". They will be balloting around 10,000 members for strike action.
Last week RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "We have already warned that the cuts that are being planned by Transport for London (TfL) will turn tube stations into a muggers paradise and it now appears that the company are speeding up the process and are already leaving stations unstaffed, or babysat with just one member of staff, without any consultation.
"That is a scandalous dereliction of duty and it is only a matter of time now before TfL and [mayor of London] Boris Johnson have a tragedy on their hands as a result of their cavalier disregard for public safety.
"RMT has made it clear right from the outset that we will not sit idly by while the Mayor and his transport officials drive down tube staffing levels to dangerously low levels. If we have to ballot for action in the interests of tube safety then that is exactly what we will do."
Mr Parry added: "We have made it clear from the very beginning that all stations will continue to be staffed at all times, all stations with a ticket office will continue to have one and there will be no compulsory redundancies.
"The huge success of Oyster means the use of ticket offices has fallen by almost 50 per cent.
"Just one in 20 journeys now starts with a visit to a ticket office. The proposed changes to ticket office opening hours would enable us to deploy our staff in those places at those times where passengers need them most - on stations, not behind glass screens or in back of office roles."
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