RMT has been polling its driver members in a referendum to see if they want union negotiators to discuss the possibility of amending the drivers' framework to facilitate the trial of a four-day, 36-hour week in two depots. The results are due back this week.
The trial would necessitate increasing the maximum time spent on the front of a train (currently 4 hours 15 minutes).
Tubeworker supporters have been voting no. A four-day week is a great aspiration, but it should be based on reducing working time, not increasing it. Increases in the time spent on the front of a train might not seem like a lot on paper, but in practise it will make a massive difference to fatigue levels. Many of the rights in the framework were won through hard-fought strikes and they should not be traded away.
Let's keep fighting for a four-day, 32-hour week!