Tubeworker's blog

Something in the air tonight?

“Particulate matter” (PM) is everything in the air that is not a gas. It consists of a variety of chemical compounds and materials. These may enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body. This can result in serious impacts to health.

PM 2.5, aka “fine” PM, is small enough to pass...

Management’s alternate reality?

Once you've worked for LUL for long enough, you learn to tune out the spin management ritualistically churn out in response to every strike announcement.

"We are disappointed"... "we urge the unions to return to negotiation"... and usually, "striking won't change anything." Well, they always say...

Station staff lead the way - now other grades must strike too!

Station and revenue staff on London Underground will strike on 4 and 6 October, followed by a week-long overtime ban from 15-21 October.

The strike has been called in response to LUL's ongoing programme of job cuts, and their recent announcement of yet another restructure that will see Customer...

Vote to strike in ballot on parking

From 1 October all existing car parking for Acton Town District line drivers and REW Acton Works will be removed. RMT is now balloting over the issue. The new and very expensive housing development on Bollo Lane had parking for staff rejected at the planning stage. Management chose not to appeal...

When 2s become 1s…

New starter CSA2s on stations are coming out of Ashfield House with a CSA1 license, after just a few weeks of training.

The additional license means they can be used to cover CSA1 duties straight away. No-one should begrudge CSA2s, the lowest-paid grade on stations, the opportunity to earn a bit...

Staff cuts cause nearly 100 station closures

August 2023 saw 98 station closures due to staff shortages. The same month in 2019 saw just 12.

What’s happened since? LUL has cut around 600 frontline positions from stations. This is the consequence.

Many closures were just for a short time, but a station being closed for even 15 minutes can...

Outsourced DLR workers to strike again

Outsourced ISS staff in the DLR will strike again on 12 and 14 September, as their fight for decent pay goes on.

These workers have struck several times in recent months but bosses are yet to make a satisfactory offer.

It’s good that the dispute is continuing but if the pattern of 48-hour...

August-September edition of Tubeworker now online

The latest edition of the printed version of our bulletin, collating content from our blog, is now online.

This edition features an article on the how the government's anti-migrant rhetoric divides workers. Plus, local and workplace stories, including news on engineering workers' votes for strikes...

Magic wands?

LUL wants to scrap the “wand” system for security checks at Cat-A stations, a replace it with visual checks that will be inputted/audited by an app.

The current system involves tagging points on a wall with a wand, data from which is then downloaded to verify the check has been completed. We hold...

Engineering workers vote for strikes

Two groups of engineering workers in RMT, employed by Cleshar on the East London Line contract and Thales GTS, have voted for strikes over pay.

Both voted by overwhelming majorities (100%, in the Cleshar workers’ case!) to strike.

Engineering contractors are a precarious and often low-paid...

Keep BWCs voluntary!

Rumours abound that LUL is about to make the use of Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) compulsory for station staff. As of now, using BWCs is voluntary.

Tubeworker has always opposed the imposition of this technology. We understand that BWCs make some staff feel safer, and there is some evidence to suggest...

Baker Street strike threat wins jobs

A strike due to take place at Wembley Park and Baker Street stations on Friday 18 August was called off after LUL confirmed some of the positions cut on the cover group as part of a recent rostering and staffing review would be reinstated. Some CSA2 positions at Baker Street will also be upgraded to...

Ballot successful on detrainment fight

The reballot on Bakerloo, District, Central, Hammersmith and City, Victoria and Jubilee lines was successful. Drivers will continue to check their trains before taking them into depots or sidings.

As Tubeworker has said previously, ”While there is a specific safety implication for drivers arising...

Wash our windscreens!

After a period where the outside of the Picc trains were gathering more and more dust it is now the windscreens which need attention. More and more blotches, stains, marks, dirt and grime are making our already yellowing windscreens even worse to see out of. Couple this with terrible windscreen...

Stations need staff

As station cuts continue to hit us all over the Combine two stations with no staff including a terminus could put staff and passengers at risk. Lifts couldn’t operate at either station. If a driver had to take a train into a depot and couldn’t have got a passenger off a train, we’d have been on our...

The case of the disappearing diamond

With the upgrading of sidings and depots ready for the ever delayed new trains, some work has moved a bit too quickly. Once the 7 car marker was removed from Wood Green sidings, drivers could still rely on the stopping mark in the 4 foot… until that also disappeared until safety reps flagged up...

ABM job cuts continue

Cleaning contractor ABM is continuing a restructure, named “Project Lean” by some of its managers, that is seeing cleaners displaced from their workplaces.

By unilaterally reducing its staffing level, ABM is forcing cleaners to relocate, often considerably increasing their travel time. Some...

Beware the small print on pensions

The recent announcement from TfL that no changes will be made to our pension until 2026 was seen by some as a concession of some kind.

It was one of the reasons union officials and executive committees gave for cancelling our recent planned strikes.

But has the company actually made any...

Night Tube niceties?

The latest edition of On The Move focuses on Night Tube and other elements of night working across TfL.

One interview with a member of Night Tube station staff says it’s enjoyable because it’s a different passenger profile, and people who are out partying are more fun. Tubeworker is pleased they...

Met South station staff to strike

Station staff on the Metropolitan South Cover Group, which includes Baker Street and Wembley Park, will strike on Friday 18 August. The strike also includes Night Tube staff at Baker Street.

They’re striking to protest the recent imposition of reduced staffing levels and worse rosters, which have...

New edition of Tubeworker bulletin now online

The latest edition of our bulletin is now online, collating content from our blog.

This edition argues that the recent cancellation of strikes by RMT, Aslef, and Unite was the wrong decision, lacking in transparency and democracy. We also feature stories on ongoing disputes across the job, plus an...

Thales workers: vote yes for strikes!

Thales GTS workers are balloting for strikes, with the vote opening on 27 July and closing on 17 August.

Thales engineers provide technological support to LUL and other transport companies across a wide range of functions, including signaling and communication systems. Like many outsourced...

Detrainment dispute: renew the mandate, link the fights!

RMT is re-balloting train operator members on the Bakerloo, District, Central, Hammersmith and City, and Jubilee lines to renew the mandate for industrial action in the dispute over the removal of detrainment duties on stations.

Ballot papers go out on 27 July, and the ballot closes on 17 August. T...

Too Scared to take Strike Action?

TSSA has sent an email to its members on LUL about the upcoming strikes from 23 July, which will see members of the three other Tube unions (RMT, Unite, and Aslef) walking out.

So, obviously, in a spirit of basic trade union solidarity, the TSSA email tells its members to respect the other unions'...

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