Trade union activist Glenroy Watson, a driver on the Victoria Line and President of the RMT London Transport Regional Council, nearly found himself out of work recently when a power-mad manager announced his summary dismissal, at what was only his second Case Conference since going off sick with a back injury.
No up-to-date medical evidence was presented; Glenroy was simply told that his Type 2 diabetes meant he was such a "high risk" that the company could no longer sustain the treatment he was getting for his back!
Fortunately, swift intervention from RMT officers forced the company's hand, and the sacking was suspended within 48 hours.
Nevertheless, the outrageous attack on one of the best-known union activists across the job is further evidence of two worrying trends: increasingly authoritarian attacks on workers with physical conditions and disabilities, and local managers acting like little gods. Such behaviour has provoked disputes on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith and City Lines.
If Glenroy's case is now representative of a company-wide issue, unions must find ways of generalising those disputes and get to grips with what is likely a very wide ranging campaign on the part.