RMT members have voted by over 90% to strike in the dispute over pay and Night Tube. The re-ballot of station staff for further action in the "Every Job Matters" dispute also returned a majority of over 90%, as did the ballots of LU Fleet members (for strikes against the use of agency trainers) and Jubilee Line drivers (in a dispute over de-skilling). The ballots returned even higher majorities for action-short-of-strikes.
Sporting metaphors should always be used sparingly, but if this was a boxing match, RMT's ballot results, coming swiftly after ASLEF's resounding yes, would be a one-two combo that has rocked management back on their heels. We're a long way from delivering the knockout blow, but after a long period of doggedly defending behind raised gloves, we've finally started swinging again.
RMT (and TSSA, whose ballot returned a 76% majority for strikes on a 44% turnout, and Unite, whose members voted by a 70% majority in favour of strikes, and an 84% majority in favour of action-short-of-strikes, on an 82% turnout) will call a strike to coordinate with ASLEF's action on 8-9 July. Although Tubeworker has doubts about the efficacy of 24-hour actions, there's no doubt that a cross-union strike will have a huge impact. That strike should be the start of a sustained campaign of action.
Unions also need to steel themselves for management to try every trick in the book over the week ahead to stop the strike. There'll be talks (rightly), and no doubt deals will be offered. The company will probably try to exploit potential divisions between grades by offering a better deal for drivers, hoping that ASLEF will settle and peel away. Activists in ASLEF must pressure their officers to make sure this doesn't happen. We can only win if we remain united.
We don't want to strike for the sake of it; we're striking to win our demands. So if management back down between now and next Wednesday, and promise a collectively-negotiated agreement on Night Tube that protects our health and work/life balance; a decent pay deal that reflects increases in the cost of living; and a moratorium on the imposition of job cuts and a new "Framework Agreement" for station staff... then there's no need for the strike to take place.
But we all know that's unlikely. We all know it will take this strike, and almost certainly more strikes after this, to push management back.
All the unions have sent a resounding message to the company with our ballot results. Now let's build for a rock solid strike, and plan further action beyond the first strike, to show our bosses we mean business.
The fight is on!
