EDF Supply, technicians who take care of faults with the electricity that powers the Tube, took 36 hours of strike action on Sunday and Monday. The action was solid. There was a strong picket line at their base at Tufnell Park and a demo outside EDF headquarters on Monday.
The strike is over rosters. They previously worked over their contracted 12 hour shifts, and were paid for their flexibility. The company then wanted them to stick to their 12 hour shifts, so they have been leaving jobs unfinished in order to get to their booking off point in time. Now the company say they want it both ways: they want the old flexibility back but are not willing to pay for it. EDF supply shift workers are on strike because they want the same allowance for flexibility as their day colleagues get.
The company say there is no money in the pot, but they have managed to find enough to pay engineers overtime to cover the strikes – and even a security guard in case any of their angry workers did anything unruly on the picket line!
These workers have recently joined the RMT, who have given them the backing to get organised. It's the first time they have been on strike since 1972. Issues have been building up for years. They say they know that the strike won't do much to change management's mind, but 'it's worth it for the inconvenience it'll cause'. They did this as a show of strength, so management can see they won't lie down and take the same old treatment anymore. Spirit like this should inspire us to take action! More strikes are planned in a couple of weeks time and over Christmas.
