Workers' Liberty

Remember that dispute about the staffing of Heathrow Terminal 5? Remember how the threat of industrial action by RMT and TSSA forced management to stick some CSAs there as well as a Supervisor?

Duty sheets at Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus are showing loads of duties unfilled.

Like most stations, Embankment was just about struggling by with the skeleton staffing levels it was left with in the wake of the 35-hour week: in the peak, two CSAs on the gateline, one on each of two platforms.

The ink is not dry on the stations agreement with management and they start their old tricks again.

The new 09 stock on the Victoria line is a fully automated train with fully automated door opening and closing.

Remember the Special Requirements Team?

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.

Wide Aisle Gates (WAGs) were recently been installed at Euston.

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.

In a recent one-under at West Finchley, the driver was understandably too traumatised to do anything.

Management have again been covering stations without a station supervisor.

LUL is very proud of its new acquisitions from Silverlink. Shame it doesn't put the effort in.

Elm Park has had a bit of trouble with its OPO equipment, meaning that the platform had to be staffed to give drivers the right (or 'assisted despatch' as we are all supposed to call in now).

There has been a sudden and myseterious change to Section 4.2 of every Section 12 station's Emergency Plan. That's the clause that tells you your minimum staffing numbers, below which you can not open the station.

For the busiest two weeks of the year, in the run-up to Xmas, management introduced SATS on extra platforms, and extended the SATS times by 1.5 hours.

West Brompton station inherited two platforms and a lift from Silverlink. Management said this would make precious little difference to the station, and would certainly not require any extra staff or an uprating of West Brompton, which is one of the few remaining SS3 stations.

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

Agency staff are starting to appear in places other than the transferring Silverlink stations.

LUL have declared their intention to use them for special events - making us wonder what happened to the 'special events team' that was part of the much-lamented stations shorter working week deal.

Chaos on the Picc yesterday, when a couple of hours' suspension in the early afternoon led to delays well late into the evening, no thanks to management's refusal to implement an emergency timetable.

Not the footballers' Wives And Girlfriends, but Wide Aisle Gates. They are like Manual Gates, but with a motor rather than a member of staff.

As part of the impending Silverlink transfer, LUL stations Highbury & Islington, Blackhorse Road and West Brompton are to take on responsibility for the Silverlink platforms. Obviously, then, additional responsibilities would entail extra work, extra insepctions, extra fault reporting - and, you'd think, extra staff, and perhaps a notch-up of the station's complexity rating (giving a pay rise to the Supervisors).

Tubeworker warned earlier this year that Station Supervisors' jobs were under threat, as the new Rule Books stripped the grade of many of its responsibilities.

Tubeworker has reported previously about the staffing levels crisis on the east end of the District line.

This really hit rock bottom on Saturday 4th August, when West Ham United played Roma and the station was left woefully understaffed.

When a flashing light that informs drivers of a temporary speed restriction between Euston and Kings Cross stopped working, Euston station initially tried to inform drivers via the service information board near the driver's cab.

We were recently telling you about under-staffing causing problems with getting drivers re-licensed. Seems this affects other grades too.

Out on the Barkingside group, managers have been trying it on with staff, telling them that the company has "done away with" the requirement for 28 days' notice of ATOR and claiming that now you only need 5 days'.

Under the new Rule Book, Station Supervisors lose the following responsiblities:

During refurb work at Epping, Metronet has employed a security guard to protect its worksite. But the guard has been getting rather too close to the ticket barrier, on occasion looking like a substitute member of station staff.

Station staff will have noticed that management struggle to cover posts over a long period - eg. during maternity leave or long-term sickness. Obviously, then, they need to employ more reserves.

Well, you'd think it's obvious, wouldn't you? But management have another plan, which will save them a considerable amount of dosh - at your expense. They want to have a group of staff who hold licences above their grade, then step them up for several months to cover the uncovered post, only to send them back to their lower grade.

Last night at Bank, call point operation triggered an evacuation ... and the P.A. failed. No Inspector Sands, no P.A. from the control room, nothing.

With superhuman effort, the staff evacuated the complex in twenty minutes. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Had it been a fire, people would have died.

Staff on Green Park group are organising for an official overtime ban because staffing cuts have made the situation so unbearable. Everyone should make sure they are in the RMT, vote Yes in the ballot, and make the action effective.