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Beware Boris Johnson

Tube unions & politics

Tory Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson has unveiled his transport policy, promising a no-strike deal on the Tube. It’s more proof of the reactionary agenda of the ex-public schoolboy Henley MP, who may have a serious chance of winning the election.

Johnson, already infamous for once calling black people ‘picanninies’, said, “The RMT leadership have their thumb around the windpipe of London commuters and it’s time it was prised off. I want to end the chronic strikes by doing a deal with the workforce in which they agree in principle not to go on strike in exchange for an independent arbitration in the case of a dispute on pay and conditions.”

The no-strike deal is a red herring policy designed by the Tories to answer Evening Standard rants about Tube workers. No union should agree to it, and we’re confident that ours won’t. It would mean locking away our most powerful weapon for good. For any Tube worker to vote for Johnson would be a vote to tie ourselves up in chains.

Johnson’s election leaflet promises ‘more police on station platforms’! Excuse us, but staffing railway stations is our job! Whatever next – Tube staff foiling bank robberies?! Johnson plainly has an agenda to cut staff as well as attack our unions.


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Boris beware!

Who has he approached so far to be confident of promising a no strike deal?
The only Union that jumps to mind is ASLEF whos leadership would sell their souls for a one union deal similar to the one that used to exist on the Docklands light railway.
Even Boris is not mad enough to think that he could get a no strike deal out of the RMT.
That must mean that he intends to rid the underground of the RMT one way or another.
Not in my lifetime Boris!
Rick Grogan