RMT's ballot of station staff for action against job cuts has returned thumping majorities for both strikes (85%) and action-short-of-strikes (94%). TSSA's ballot is expected back next week.
RMT has called an overtime ban from 23 November. With the staffing levels slashed to a bare minimum post-“Fit for the Future”, coverage is almost unworkably stretched, and many stations are now totally reliant on overtime. An effective ban will lead to dozens of station closures, sending a very direct message to the company that they must increase the staffing level.
Tubeworker believes that an overtime ban should be announced as part of a wider package of action, that also a ban on higher grade working, and strikes. Although there might be a temptation to stick the OT ban on and then wait and see, the likelihood is that further action will be needed, and announcing strikes – perhaps to coincide with Southern workers' next action, on 6-8 December – will let the company know we're serious about this dispute.
We should also experiment with other forms of action, such as rolling strikes of particular shifts. Tubeworker also reckons the idea of a revenue strike should be looked at again. This was trialled in 2014, with mixed results, but where it was properly built for on the ground, it did have an impact.
The turnout in the ballot was lower than we'd like it to be. We should use that as motivation to improve our organising, making sure reps are building up workplace organisation and making sure members are engaged with the union. But we shouldn't let it dishearten us, or allow it to be used as an excuse for not pressing ahead with action. Postal ballots are designed to produce low turnouts, as they force us to vote alone, away from our colleagues and the atmosphere of collective discussion that exists at work. A boring-looking brown envelope with “Electoral Reform Services” stamped on it landing on our doormat can easily be mistaken for junk mail. Ultimately, the real test isn't how many workers participate in the ballot, but how many workers participate in the action.
The RMT Piccadilly Line drivers' ballot, in their line-specific dispute over management abuse of procedures and victimisation of reps, also returned a huge majority for action, opening up the possibility for coordinated action with stations. RMT is also balloting drivers on the District Line and possibly the Central Line, and there's a live strike mandate on the Hammersmith and City Line. Coordinated action in these distinct disputes should be a stepping stone to rebuilding the all-grades solidarity that could underpin one united dispute against cuts.
