We Can Win!

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

Some people might have thought from the most recent strike that the fight was weakening on the Victoria Line. Unlike the previous strike, LU managed to run a service along the full length of the line.

In fact, the fight is not weakening amongst the drivers. The first strike, they couldn't run trains from Seven Sisters to Walthamstow because there were no station staff. This time, they were so desperate for political reasons to run a service the full length of the line that they opened Walthamstow with one person - under minimum numbers! It was a virtually useless service, with Tottenham Hale and Blackhorse Road still closed due to lack of staff.

But, for LU it was worth it to score their political point. If they tell you the strike is weakening where they ran more of a service, the lesson is: look at the facts behind their propaganda. You will probably find safety breaches and political games.

We have had loads more stories of LU risking passengers' safety on the most recent strike. At Angel, a trainload full of passengers alighted, hiked up the longest escalators on the network, only to find the station padlocked closed with them trapped inside! Showing true competence and professionalism, the DSM that locked up the station had forgotten to put the non-stopping boards out on the platforms.

At Neasden, passengers were also trapped inside the station and had to break the Boswick gates to get out. The story of passengers trapped at Canada Water for 45 minutes even made it onto the news!

We need to take heart from these stories. LU talk down our impact to crush our mood. But they must be aware of our power if they are prepared to go to these lengths to undermine it. When we start to doubt whether we are strong enough to win, we should remember: they think we are!

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