In the last weeks, BoJo has announced:
- a £5 billion cuts package on TfL
- cuts to outer-London off-peak Tube services
- delays to all ex-Metronet station upgrades including Victoria
- a 3.9% increase in fares!
The contempt in which this man holds passengers, staff and the whole concept of public services could not be clearer!
Boris blames the failure of Metronet. So do we! But we believe that private companies, not passengers or staff pay-cuts should pay the price.
Boris blames falling passenger numbers, but how can this be true? Frontline staff have not reported being less busy! Even Boris’ own transport strategy shows a growth in employment across most areas of London, indicating commuting must be constant.
Even more terrifying, Boris has used TfL as a model to tell Tory Party conference, ‘Here is how you cut public services!’ BoJo seems to be building his profile for a possible challenge to the Tory leadership, and using us to carry out experiments along the way.
Richard Parry, our managing director, also made an appearance at Tory party conference.
Top bosses Richard Parry and Boris Johnson combine their political program of service cuts and private profit with their practical job of running London’s transport system. Working for these people to provide that service, we are on the receiving end of their politically-motivated decisions.
As workers for a public service, we need to need to stand up for ourselves politically because of what the Tories are doing to our service and our jobs directly - and what they will do even more if they win next year’s general election.
New Labour, who invented Public Private Partnership, and have promised public service cuts, will not stand up for us. We as workers need our own political voice.
On 7 November the RMT is holding a conference on working class political representation, which might announce a coalition for the next General Election. It would have been better if RMT members could have had a say in this project earlier on, but RMT members should try to get involved in this campaign.