Workers' Liberty

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.

In case you were wondering how much administrators cost, it is apparently around 750 quid per person per hour (that's their fee, rather than the amount the individuals are actually paid).

As Metronet goes into administration, the abject failure of PPP is laid bare. There's only one solution - re-integrate the Tube under public ownership! Don't let Gordon Brown and Ken Livingstone cook up a deal to re-privatise the infrastructure.

Metronet has now gone into administration. Ernst & Young have taken over on behalf of Transport for London. Metronet's workers were paid on time, so did not have to carry out their plan to occupy their depots if their wages had not materialised.

Metronet is all over the news today. The PPP Arbiter has indicated that he will not agree to the Infraco's demand that London Underground pay for its incompetence, and LUL will 'only' have to pay Metronet an additional £121m rather than the £551m it had asked for. That's not a one-off, that's the four-weekly Infrastructure Service Charge.

Refurb work at Loughton station involves resurfacing the platforms. A tip to Metronet: make sure the new surface has actually set before you let passengers stand on it. One particular passenger was aggrieved to find her bag covered in black sticky stuff ...

Yesterday's derailment on the Central line was in the same place as another incident just six weeks ago.

Metronet plans a "re-organisation" to get itself out its financial crisis. Although the crisis was caused by management, it is workers who will be made to pay the price. Here's how:

• massive job losses
  
  

Following the recent successful RMT dispute with Metronet, workers who were going to be transferred to Bombardier are not going to be any more.

So why is Metronet asking them to sign an agreement opting out of their TUPE rights? There should be no need for any workers to sign away rights guaranteed to them in law.

Metronet continues to spiral towards disaster, and has revealed new plans to make its workforce pay the price.

• 290 administrative and middle management jobs are to go.
  
  

Perhaps it's a good job that Metronet workers don't have overalls, cos if they are based at Acton, they'd have nowhere to put them! About 250 engineering grade staff work out of Acton, with five toilets, three showers - and no lockers - between them.

Metronet workers are missing their overalls. Apparently, Metronet owes the laundry company a shedload of money, so the laundry company won't return the overalls once cleaned!

Brixton crossover caused major problems on the Vic last week with a 10mph TSR imposed. So new points were shipped in from Spain and installed on Sunday. Just a few days later, the points failed, necessitating a Victoria-Brixton suspension during the day to replace the points motor!

A contractor supplying protection services to Metronet provides its workforce with bog standard safety boots, despite Metronet having better boots as standard.

Contractor ISS is still trying to sneak in biometric booking-on systems for cleaners - but it is coming up against the power of all-grades trade unionism.

When the snow fell on Wednesday morning, 90 points on the Central line failed, resulting in total chaos on the service.

The reason? Metronet, knowing there were freezing temperatures, had decided not to de-ice the points that night in order to save money. This money-saving measure ended up costing it £40,000 in fines to TfL. Obviously, that £40,000 could have been better spent on the upkeep of the lines - but the Infracos sometimes calculate that the fines are cheaper than doing the work.