Workers' Liberty

It looks like there has been a win for signal maintenance staff, who are no longer under threat of imposed weekend working.

Yesterday's strike of ex-Metronet signals staff was 100% solid, and even spread to fleet staff who refused to cross picket lines.

A stonkingly high Yes vote for industrial action has shown that signal technicians are well up for a fight against management's attempts to impose new, anti-social rosters.

Anyone who knows about the electricity that powers our Tube will tell you that if you have an 'earth', then this is something to worry about.

London Underground is to slash its spending on maintaining the ex-Metronet lines.

• £26+m from track and signals

• £19m from trains
• £18.5m from stations
  
  

Drivers and other staff have long demanded proper lighting in deopts for the avoidance of accidents.

A cutting to the west of Acton Town needs stabilising.

We thought it was all over. Metronet workers are to return to the public sector, after defeating the privateers (several times) and helping their headlong rush to bankrupcy.

Metronet staff were told a few weeks ago that they would be transferred back into LUL by December. Everyone was pleased. This was effectively renationalisation.

Metronet is to return fully into London Underground, with all Metronet employees becoming LUL employees - read RMT's press release

Metronet has backed down in its victimisation of Andy Littlechild and the dispute is now settled. Andy has kept his job and his grade.

Metronet not only continues to victimise RMT rep Andy Littlechild, it has also turned its sights on several other reps too.

The proverbial has well and truly hit the fan on Metronet, as management have suspended a leading union rep, amidst their attempts to attack working conditions.

28 June was an important date for Metronet - their annual testing date, on which the Infraco repeatedly switches supplies on and off causing electronic equipment to fail.

Metronet is up to its tricks again, undermining the Signal Department in a drip-drip fashion. The latest move is an attempt to remove signal staff from future control rooms.

Remember the scandal of the less than adequate train prep on the Central Line when the Metronet strike was called off?

The RMT has announced a 'victory'. Cleaners on lines formerly maintained by Metronet will be paid £7.20 p/h when TfL takes over the contract.

So TfL is the only only bidder for Metronet's infraco contracts.

Take charge of a prized national asset. Make a pig's ear of it. Leave with a big pay-off.

We have reported previously about contractors' failure to empty sanitary bins often enough.

Now it turns out that Metronet has cut the frequency with which it empties the sanitary bins on stations from two weeks (which was already too long a wait) to four weeks.

Apparently, some trains are missing cab coat hooks, and they are not being replaced because depot stores can't afford to buy any.

Believe it or not, Metronet's bosses get to slink away from the disaster they created with more than a million quid of public money in their already over-stuffed pockets.

The PPP Arbiter (excuse us, but who elected you?!) has ruled that TfL can be held liable for half of Metronet's overspend, and therefore any new bidder for the Infraco contracts can expect a £1bn handout from TfL. This simultaneously makes it harder for TfL to make its bid, and far easier and more attractive to the private sector.

Wednesday on the Central line saw more evidence of the failures of Metronet - but also an inspiring example of Tube workers acting to defend their own and passengers' safety.

At 9am, an eastbound train became defective at Holland Park. After initially fearing a possible derailment, it then became clear what had actually happened: the negative shoe gear had fallen off, caused by split pins, which lock the nuts in place, not being replaced properly during Tuesday's maintenance. The ERU later found the EPBU cover and negative shoe lying on the track.

Given the pig's ear that Metronet has made of the stuff it is in charge of already, you'd think that no-one in their right mind would consider giving the bankrupt company any extra responsibilities, wouldn't you?

Down at Kings Cross, platform 2 is crumbling beneath the feet.

It seems that to avoid raising the nosing stones, and thus save some dosh, Metronet decided to use 8mm tiles, less than half the usual thickness.

As management fell over themselves to get the train service running after the Metronet strike was called off, it appears that they may have been prepared to cut some corners when it came to safety standards. Yes, really.

END TUBE PRIVATISATION
LOBBY THE TUC
12.00, TUESDAY 11th SEPTEMBER
The Brighton Centre, Kings Road entrance. Map here.

Scrap the PPP, bring maintenance in-house

Lobby the Department for Transport

Tuesday 4th September 11.30 – 13.00

Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR (nearest Tube: Westminster or St James Park)

Ken Livingstone's latest newspaper for Londoners carries an article about the Metronet collapse. On first reading, it is a welcome condemnation of PPP and Metronet's management, but a closer read reveals why we can not trust our fat-cat Mayor.