Workers' Liberty

Several issues from our recent dispute will now be discussed in ‘joint working parties’ between unions and management ie. kicked into the long grass.

Through our unions, Tube workers have slowed London Underground’s drive to casualise our job - but if the unions had avoided mistakes, they could have stopped it in its tracks.

Here it is verbatim, with Tubeworker’s response in italics after each point.

The unions made several mistakes during the course of the casualisation dispute, which meant that they were able only to slow management’s attacks rather than stop them completely. It is worth assessing these mistakes – not through bitterness or negativity, but because only by identifying mistakes can we ensure that we do not repeat them.

A member of Bakerloo detrainment staff writes ...

In the now-paused dispute over casualisation, all-grades trade unionism was put to the test. How did RMT - the only union which even aspires to unite the grades - measure up?

The unions have stopped industrial action for a document from management which – although it is not nearly so bad as management’s earlier proposals – does dent the principle of 24/7 station supervision. It states that eight of the stations transferred from Silverlink will have supervisors on duty in traffic hours only. Tubeworker has already commented on the need to defend round-the-clock supervision (in the second half of this article), but we want to add some further points.

Well over 100 RMT reps discussed the casualisation dispute on Thursday, the majority view being that the union should follow TSSA and call off the planned strikes.

Some wag on the Central line has produced a spoof Tubeworker under the title TubeDriver.

Following its reps' meeting at lunchtime, RMT's Executive has decided to call off the strike action. But at least it has not gone so far as to actually accept management's offer.

Today's TSSA reps' meeting voted to abandon next week's strike and to put management's offer to members with a recommendation to accept.

Management are spreading lots of propaganda around the job about how much they have ‘moved’ and how near we are to reaching agreement in the talks. So have management ‘moved’?

Well, the votes are in and the result is a YES for industrial action by our members against the company’s latest plans to cut costs by attacking the terms and conditions of its workforce.

Following a big majority for strike action in RMT's ballot, RMT and TSSA have jointly announced a 72-hour strike. The two unions' joint press release is copied below. LUL management's attack on our staffing levels and job security is very serious - and we must all now pull together to ensure a serious response: the best possible turnout for the strike days.

Thoughts on our unions' industrial strategies - comments welcome.

TSSA - 'the union that never strikes' - is rapidly changing its spots.

Latest news from the casualisation and de-staffing dispute is that talks resume tomorrow and RMT will send out ballot papers on Thursday.

At the 'Off The Rails' national meeting last year, we discussed how to fight disputes effectively, and put together a list of 'Do's and 'Don't's which included DON'T, unless you have to, strike over two separate issues (after all, what do you do if management cave in on one dependant on you caving in on the other?). If that's a pertinent point about two issues, then how much more so over nine?

Service control staff were barely out of one naff 'restructuring' than we faced another. This time, it is all about 'upgrading' to super new control centres.

Management were supposed to produce the Business Needs Schematics for the ex-Silverlink stations months ago. Then weeks ago. Then last week. But still ... Nothing.

Tubeworker has already argued on several occasions that the unions should get on with balloting for action over casualisation and destaffing. So we are pleased to see that RMT and TSSA have declared their intention to ballot.

The good news is that the RMT leadership has responded to the arguments of rank-and-file activists and agreed to an all-grades ballot against casualisation and de-staffing.

Today's Evening Standard leads on the story of impending strike action by RMT and TSSA. The most interesting thing - other than the 'any publicity is good publicity' angle - is that even a right-wing rag like the Standard can not argue with the justness of the unions' demands. It just thinks that we shouldn't fight for them!

At the end of January, RMT’s ultimatum to LUL management expires: withdraw your attacks, or we are in dispute.

There is no reason for any further delay by our unions in calling action against LUL’s attacks on our jobs.

LUL now has security guards and agency staff working on its stations, and is persisting in its plans for ‘mobile supervisors’ who cover more than one station at a time. Meanwhile, the company is still sitting on its plan to devastate ticket offices, is unfairly blocking internal promotions in order to justify direct recruitment, and is cracking down on discipline and attendance.

LUL wants to water dwon your right to refuse to work on safety grounds.

There is an RMT reps meeting next Tuesday (15th), 10am at Unity House, to discuss the destaffing and casualisation issues.

The workers of London Underground are facing one of the biggest threats ever.

Heathrow Terminal 5 station will open next year, served by both Heathrow Express and our very own Piccadilly line.

Management are piling attack upon attack on Underground staff: security guards, agency staff, mobile supervision, direct recruitment of drivers, ticket office cuts and closures ...