A Little Lone Working Perhaps?
A member of Bakerloo detrainment staff writes ...
After the reps' discussion last week, it was clear that the decision had already been made to call off the pending industrial action due to the 'victory' on the majority of points in the overall casualisation dispute.
So, in light of the 'suspended' strike action by the RMT and the document issued by management, what does this mean in the dispute over lone working on detrainments??
This is a good question.
The regional organiser stood before the reps and stated that LUL had in principle agreed to no lone working, but did not want to put it in writing.
Now, the document listing LUL's offer actually states:
Should there be a time when there are insufficient detrainment staff, a member of staff will be moved from within the station or from an adjacent location to assist.
On the surface this sounds great!
So what happens when there are no other staff on the station to assist? Which adjacent location will they move staff from? I believe that they can only ask staff rostered at other locations to assist, not instruct!
We are all aware that the other locations between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone are still NOT staffed until the close of traffic, so how can they ASK somebody to assist who is not there?!
While this mystery person is making their way to assist, what will happen until they arrive?
I'm sorry but this particular statement is so ambiguous, I do not believe it has solved the lone working detrainments dispute at all.
This is what the management have been saying all along and they are now trying to 'mug us off', trying to disguise it amongst the conceding of certain other points in the dispute.
This is not good enough.
24-hour industrial action has already taken place on seven separate occasions because of LUL management's reluctance to back down on this particular dispute and it has been 100% solid.
We want it written in black and white that no detrainments will take place when there are insufficient staff to carry this out safely, and that if this is the case, then trains will be detrained at an earlier location.
- Tubeworker's blog
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
Who decides?
Shouldn't it be up to these workers themselves to decide whether management's offer is an acceptable resolution of their dispute? Surely the union should not accept it if the workers don't agree - and it seems from this post that they don't.
I think that, as a principle, decisions about strikes should be made by the strikers themselves. But especially in this case - seven days of strike action earns you the right to decide when your dispute is over.