Workers' Liberty

On Karlmarxstrasse.

RMT's protest against East London line privatisation last week turned out to be something of a wake.

RMT will be protesting against East London line privatisation, just as the line closes for the extension to be built. Get yerselves along there.

Thursday 13th December, 11am
outside City Hall

Jubilee South & East London Line Branch RMT

Special Branch Meeting
Wednesday 1st August 2007
1530 hrs
The Blue Eyed Maid,
Borough High Street
London Bridge Station

Stop the privatisation of the East London Line

The prize has been awarded - MTR Laing will run London Overground, the new franchise consisting of the already-private Silverlink North London Line and the to-be-privatised East London Line.

RMT will be dishing out leaflets explaining the case against East London Line privatisation on Thursday 12 April from 0800–0900 at Whitechapel, Canada Water and New Cross stations on the East London Line.

Everything seems to have gone a bit quiet in the campaign to stop East London Line privatisation.

We can not afford to stop - or even to coast along - only to get all of a panic when the privatisation is upon us and launch into action without adequate preparation.

The new issue of Tubeworker calls for an effective fight against Ken Livingstone's plan to privatise the East London Line via the 'London Overground' scheme. Workplace reports include the latest on the pay dispute, drivers' rosters on the Northern Line and the grief caused by the latest punitive rules on Oyster use.

A new era for London Rail??

I remember our esteemed Mayor saying that we needed more privatisation like a hole in the head. Perhaps he already has one and this thought has escaped from it.

DON’T PRIVATISE OUR TUBE – MOBILISE FOR LOBBY AND PUBLIC MEETING.

LONDON LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE, STRATFORD - 25th NOVEMBER 2006

LOBBY
8.30 – 9.30 Stratford Old Town Hall, 29 the Broadway

As jblog's regular reader and various locals will know, I am in the habit of writing to the Hackney Gazette. Of late, this has largely been on the subject of East London Line privatisation. One letter per subject would usually suffice but oddly, the advocates of the policy have come up with this bizarre argument that privatisation is not in fact privatisation, so I had to give it a few more shots (one of which I've copied below).

Hackney TUC went out leafleting against East London Line privatisation earlier this evening.

Opposition to East London Line privatisation is growing in Hackney. But Jennette Arnold (our GLA member) says that it’s not really privatisation and RMT is scaremongering! In fact, all the rail unions oppose this privatisation, as did TUC Congress - unanimously.

RMT will be handing out postcards to the travelling public on 23 and 24 October at 7.45am at the following stations:

• Monday 23 October - Canada Water and Surrey Docks stations

• Tuesday 24th October - Shadwell and Whitechapel stations

Management are getting on with implementing TfL's disastrous plan to privatise the East London Line. Their latest move is to interview drivers to discuss where you want to go when you get kicked off the line that you don't actually want to get kicked off.

I got this letter (below) published in the Hackney Gazette this week. It's self-explanatory. I look forward to any response from TfL/Livingstone to the challenge at the end.

Last week's Gazette reported Transport for London's launch of its 'London Overground' project, joining up the North and East London Lines to greatly improve rail services in Hackney and other parts of London.

TfL has launched with a big splash its 'London Overground' project - the East London line and North London lines joined up.

As the fight against East London Line privatisation goes on, RMT activists will be taking a trip to the seaside to make a big splash about the issue at TUC Congress.

On the Monday evening, Ken Livingstone is hosting a social event at Congress, rather cheekily for a bloke who is not only privatising the East London Line but also encouraged Tube workers to cross picket lines a couple of summers ago.

Transport for London plans to privatise the Tube’s East London Line when it re-opens after its extension is built. Over a hundred stations, signals and drivers’ jobs will be transferred to the new private operator.

I have written this report for the Hackney TUC website, but it is currently under hack attack, so I'm posting it here. This is my report with the Hackney TUC's President's hat on. You'll have to wait for my personal opinions on some of the issues discussed until I get back from my holiday in the Isle of Wight in a week or so's time!

Over 50 people attended a public meeting on Wednesday evening in Hackney to protest against East London line privatisation. Both speakers and audience pledged their commitment to fighting for the East London Line to remain in public hands and for the extension to bring a public Tube to Hackney.

As is obvious to pretty much everyone, unity is strength. So it would be very good to see all the unions working together in the fight to stop East London Line privatisation. (Actually, it would be very good to see one union for all railworkers, but that's not going to happen this week.)

Click here for details of forthcoming public meeting.

“The people of Hackney must join the unions in stopping the privatisers and profiteers getting their grubby hands on the East London Line and its extension. The safety record of the privatised railway must not be spread onto the East London Line. Profits must not come before safety.”

As readers are probably aware, the Tube's East London Line is due to be privatised once it has been extended. This appalling idea has been around for a couple of years, and in 2004 I engaged in an exchange of views with one of the extension project's big cheeses about it.

When the East London line closes for the extension to be built, what happens to the staff? LUL, of course, thinks it can re-deploy everyone wherever it likes. But we should insist that station staff stay where they are, selling tickets, supervising contractors and providing customer service information. Drivers and signallers, if they must move, should have maximum say in where they go, with all travelling time in company time.