For the seventh time, Bakerloo line detrainment staff are taking a day's strike action today. The action conveniently coincides with the Spurs-Chelsea Carling Cup Final at Wembley, meaning that the managers and RCIs doing the strikers' duties could have a torrid time this afternoon. Our hearts bleed (not).
Once again, there has been no scabbing amongst the workers involved, but again they have taken action alone, without the involvement of other grades.
With managament apparently prepared to ride out discontinuous one-day strikes, we need to review the strike strategy. Is there a way to involve other grades? Can the action spread to other areas of the Tube where there is unsafe lone working? Should future strikes be for 48 hours, or even longer?
Another key question is: how does this issue fit in with the current dispute on casualisation and de-staffing? As an issue, it obviously fits under that general heading, and equally obviously, it would be a good idea to be part of a wider, more generalised battle. But on the other hand, strikers have a genuine fear of their specific issue being lost among the 'shopping list' of the bigger dispute's demands. And the demand for 'no rostered lone working unless from a place of safety' does not cover the detrainment staff's issue - they do not face rostered lone working, but lone working if a rostered duty is unexpectedly uncovered.