Tubeworker's blog

It seems ABM is attempting to weasel out of its commitment to pay all cleaners full pay for periods of sickness and self-isolation.

Managers are instructing workers to apply to their local councils for the £500 self-isolation grant, and saying ABM will top up any remainder, or that they’ll only...

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the collapse of its fare revenue, and discussions with the Department for Transport about future funding models, Transport for London has published a "Financial Sustainability Plan".

The strongest words it can muster about its own future funding is a proposal...

TfL's "Financial Sustainability Plan", published on 11 January (online here), recognises "that the ongoing funding discussions between TfL and DfT may need to include an assessment of the potential impact of the costs and risks associated with the [TfL Pension] Scheme, and an exploration of how they...

RMT has declared as dispute with LU over its plan to unilaterally move some workers out of the TubeLines collective bargaining structures and reallocate them to the "MATS" function of the LU collective bargaining machinery. One of the effects is that these workers are no longer formally represented...

RMT is balloting members in the Hammersmith Control Centre for industrial action to resist job cuts.

Bosses want to impose a new roster, which will cut to SCL2 jobs, affect annual leave, and increase workload.

Despite union objections, management say they will impose the new roster...

Latest figures show that 57 transport workers in London have died from Covid-19.

The majority, 42, of these were bus workers, highly exposed by their employers' unforgivable foot-dragging over moving to middle-door boarding and implementing additional distancing measures. Eight of the deaths are...

At the first sign of Covid symptoms it is essential to stay at home and self isolate in line with NHS guidelines.

This is to keep ourselves safe, our families safe, our colleagues safe, and even strangers safe. It's even to keep the boss safe, though chances are they will be working from home...

The "Independent Review" into transport funding commissioned by the Mayor and the TfL Board has now been published. Remember, this was the "independent" alternative to the KPMG-led review commissioned by the Department for Transport, which - although we can't know for sure, as it hasn't been made...

Online meeting, Wednesday 27 January, 16:00-18:00
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Workers' Liberty members active in the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport workers (RMT) are supporting John Leach in the election for the union's next General Secretary.

John is a former London Underground station worker, and has served on the RMT National Executive Committee, as...

Risk your life carrying out essential, frontline work during a deadly global pandemic... how does your employer reward you? Well, if you're a cleaner on London Underground... it's with a small badge.

There's widespread anger amongst ABM staff at what's seen as a slap in the face. Rather than...

Staff on Victoria Central stations are appalled at a diktat from local management that they are not to wear RMT Black Lives Matter badges at work. But they are not just appalled, they are not giving in.

While senior management blog about the importance of BLM, and staff across all other locations...

The ink had hardly dried on the assurance from senior management that St Paul's would keep their pandemic roster when local management had another punt at imposing full rosters again. With passenger numbers still well down, there is absolutely no need for staff to be put at additional risk of...

Tubeworker HQ has received reports of some station staff having Company Sick Pay withdrawn for periods of self-isolation, for extremely spurious reasons.

Although there's only a handful of cases of this type at the moment, they set a dangerous precedent. If workers can't be absolutely confident...

Outsourcing firm Mitie has absorbed Interserve, which held the contract for office, depot, and sidings security on LU, meaning Interserve workers are now Mitie workers.

This is a common experience for outsourced staff, being transferred from one employer to another like servants. For example, any...

John Ferretti is a train conductor on the New York Subway, and a member of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100. He is involved in the rank-and-file caucus "Local 100 Fightback". He spoke to Tubeworker about the struggle for workers' rights on the Subway. A second part of this interview will...

There is still a pandemic. There are still far fewer passengers. There is still danger in coming to work.

Sorry for stating the obvious, but it appears that some managers have forgotten.

In order to reduce infection risk, early in the first lockdown, stations adopted 'pandemic rosters', in...

RMT has reported that Sodexo, the outsourcing giant which runs TfL staff canteens, has backed down from its threat to make workers compulsorily redundant.

As we reported previously, Sodexo was planning to slash 30 jobs on the contract as part of a restructure that will also see canteens move away...

Thursday 19 October, 16:00-18:00

Jointly hosted by Tubeworker and Off the Rails

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Click here to log in via Zoom.

With far-right nationalist president Donald Trump on his way out of the White House, what impacts will the election have on workers and trade...

The new lockdown comes into effect from tomorrow. Our unions must fight for reinforced safety measures.

LU has said workers in the "Clinically Extremely Vulnerable" (CEV) category will not be expected to be in the workplace, and those whose jobs mean they can't work from home are likely to be put...

Union reps are pushing LU to improve its procedures for when a case of Covid is confirmed in a workplace, after recent incidents at Euston and Victoria. An RMT leaflet says current processes are "not robust or comprehensive enough."

Of particular concern is LU's insistence that they can keep a...

Tooting Constituency Labour Party in south London has passed a resolution supporting RMT's campaign for full sick pay, staff travel passes, and direct employment for Tube cleaners.

Whilst any wider support throughout the labour movement is welcome and important, this development is especially...

The government has agreed a six-month, £1.8 billion funding bailout for TfL, after a period of intense negotiations that saw deadlines extend and talks go down to the wire.

The package is being widely reported as a "win for Sadiq Khan", as the deal does not include many of the concessions the...

Talks between TfL and the government about a further funding bailout are ongoing, with discussions being extend past the 17 October deadline for the expiry of the previous package.

Tory attack lines blame Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan for "bankrupting" TfL. This is a blatant lie. TfL's funding crisis...

Click here to watch a video of the presentation at our September online meeting about colour bars on the UK railway.

Senior LU boss Nick Dent wasn't mincing his words in an Employee Bulletin sent out to all staff on 15 October: "All colleagues in our operational teams should continue to come to work as normal, including colleagues who are vulnerable."

Let's remind ourselves of the facts: between 15 and 20,000...

Thanks to pressure from RMT and TSSA reps, management on the SRT have abandoned their plan to move SRT staff off their rosters to cover local absences.

Bosses have agreed to unions' demand that coverage be resourced from within SRT rosters patterns, allowing the SRT to be utilised to cover local...

On 30 September, we reported that cleaning contractor ABM had withdrawn an agreement to pay cleaners at their full shift rate for periods of Covid-related sickness and self-isolation. With the agreement withdrawn, cleaners would revert to their normal contractual arrangements, which only entitled...

The usual work of the Special Requirements Team (SRT) on stations, covering projects and events, has largely been halted due to the pandemic. To better utilise the SRT, management now want to invoke a clause in their Framework which allows them to be deployed to cover long-term absences, such as...

Sodexo, the multibillion pound, multinational outsourcing giant, plans to cut 30 jobs on its TfL catering contract.

It has been cooking up the cuts (pun intended) since late last year, when it won an extension to its contract. Sodexo bosses say TfL re-tendered the contract on the explicit basis...