RMT Ballot Tube Workers Over Industrial Action


Union claim jobs and working conditions under threat

The Tube union RMT have started balloting over industrial action in a row about pay and conditions.

THE union say that although TfL announced they are buying out the Tube Lines operation the company will still exist as a separate legal entity and the threat to jobs, conditions and pay remains in place leaving staff with an uncertain future.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said today:
''We have made it perfectly clear to Transport for London that we do not expect our members to take the hit for the final collapse of the disastrous tube privatisation experiment. Those responsible for the fiasco have creamed off vast amounts of Londoner’s cash in profits and are even getting a further £310 million “golden good bye” pay off in what is a reward for failure on a massive scale.

“We have sought concrete assurances that staff will not be expected to pay off the Tube Line’s exit costs in job losses, attacks on safe working conditions and an undermining of pay rates. Those assurances have not been forthcoming so we have no option but to ballot for action in defence of our members.

“With the transfer of Tube Lines we expect TfL to take responsibility for maintaining the pay, jobs and conditions of the workforce that they will need in place if they are going to get the upgrade programme back on track in time for the Olympics.

“RMT remains available for talks and we repeat our call for a clear sign that TfL are taking seriously our perfectly reasonable request for assurances that lift the axe from over the heads of the Tube Lines workforce.''

The ballot for action will close on June 1st.

May 17th, 2010