Two resounding ballot results have set the stage for an effective fight against Metronet's disastrous outsourcing plans.
Metronet workers voted by around 80% on a two-thirds turnout to strike in defence of their conditions. London Underground drivers on all lines maintained by Metronet (that's every line except the Northern and Jubilee) voted by a similar margin to take action that will enable them to refuse to drive on Metronet strike days.
Whilst RMT and Metronet continue to try to reach a deal, rank-and-file reps and activists are discussing the best tactics for the fight. We all know that 24-hour walkouts are not as effective for engineering grades as for operational grades. We need longer, more sustained action, so that management can not simply rejig train prepping, track inspections etc to stay within the rules. So we should be looking at three or more days out on strike.
LUL drivers can then refuse to drive trains that have not been preparing by qualified Metronet staff, or over track that has not been properly inspected and maintained, again by qualified Metronet staff.
RMT felt the need to ballot drivers on this, to prevent legal action of the sort that scuppered the action earlier this year on Midland Mainline.
Let's make this action as solid and effective as possible. Activists should get round and talk to every worker, and organise picketing at every booking-on point. Station staff should make sure that you know the issues and the arguments, to help explain things to passengers. Most importantly of all, rank-and-file reps should be deciding what sort of action we need, and how to organise it, rather than waiting for the word from Head Office.
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Ballot results and likely strike dates
Metronet - for strike action - 582 Yes; 162 No
Metronet - for industrial action short of strike - 675 Yes; 71 No
LUL drivers - for industrial action short of strike - 430 Yes; 56 No
RMT's Executive has decided that if it does not reach agreement with Metronet by Friday 9 December, Metronet workers will strike for three dates in the week beginning 19 December, and LUL drivers will take action at the same time.
Latest: the strike's off
RMT's press release ...
DECEMBER 8: THREE DAYS of strike action by 1,800 Metronet workers scheduled in the week before Christmas have been called off by RMT after the union today reached agreement with the Tube contractor in its dispute over outsourcing, redundancies and pensions.
Ballots of Tube station staff and Docklands Light Railway members will go ahead in two separate disputes over, respectively, implementation of the 35-hour week and pay.
“Metronet has today agreed that there will be no outsourcing of current work to subcontractors and that there will be no compulsory redundancies of our members,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.
“We have agreed on how voluntary redundancies will be handled, and we now have a commitment from the company for the full implementation of the 35-hour week.
“The company has also agreed to set up a commission on new employees and the company’s final-salary pension scheme.
“I would like to pay tribute to our Metronet members who have stood firm and who voted by a huge margin to take action on issues that would have had a major impact on the safety of the traveling public as well as their own future jobs and conditions.
“I would also like to thank the Tube drivers who voted overwhelmingly to take action if Tube safety was undermined by the Metronet dispute
“The ballot of our station staff members on the Tube over the company’s attempts to reduce staffing to unsafe levels will begin tomorrow.
“As we have had no response from Docklands Light Railway management, we will also press ahead with our ballot of DLR members in a dispute over pay,” Bob Crow said.