Tubeworker's blog

The unions made several mistakes during the course of the casualisation dispute, which meant that they were able only to slow management’s attacks rather than stop them completely. It is worth assessing these mistakes – not through bitterness or negativity, but because only by identifying mistakes...

A member of Bakerloo detrainment staff writes ...

After the reps' discussion last week, it was clear that the decision had already been made to call off the pending industrial action due to the 'victory' on the majority of points in the overall casualisation dispute.

So, in light of the...

In the now-paused dispute over casualisation, all-grades trade unionism was put to the test. How did RMT - the only union which even aspires to unite the grades - measure up?

RMT made the right decision in calling an all-grades ballot. But the union’s leadership took too much time deciding to do so...

Remember the Special Requirements Team? Originally called the Special Events Team, it was agreed as part of the stations 35-hour week. The SRT is currently parked in a sub-committee, with union reps and management arguing out the details. But the more they dig through the details, the more...

The unions have stopped industrial action for a document from management which – although it is not nearly so bad as management’s earlier proposals – does dent the principle of 24/7 station supervision. It states that eight of the stations transferred from Silverlink will have supervisors on duty in...

Well over 100 RMT reps discussed the casualisation dispute on Thursday, the majority view being that the union should follow TSSA and call off the planned strikes.

There were, however, some calls to continue the action, albeit in a different form. Tubeworker supports this view, but it turned out to...

Some wag on the Central line has produced a spoof Tubeworker under the title TubeDriver.

Here at TW, we like a bit of humour. So we'd like to say that it's very witty, and copying TW's graphics shows a commendable attention to detail.

Sadly, though, saying that station staffing has 'bugger all' to...

Following its reps' meeting at lunchtime, RMT's Executive has decided to call off the strike action. But at least it has not gone so far as to actually accept management's offer. And it has resolved to 'remain vigilant'!

Check back on Tubeworker's blog later for a report on the reps' meeting and...

Today's TSSA reps' meeting voted to abandon next week's strike and to put management's offer to members with a recommendation to accept.

Given that it's a rubbish offer which would represent a serious defeat for Underground workers and a big step for management down its casualisation road, TSSA...

Management are spreading lots of propaganda around the job about how much they have ‘moved’ and how near we are to reaching agreement in the talks. So have management ‘moved’? Yes they have: they have backed off to a degree on some of their attacks, postponing some (eg. ticket office cuts) and...

It's two years since the last pay deal on TubeLines. That deal included a commitment to negotiate the payment of allowances to workers undertaking Protection Master and Site Person In Charge duties.

Two years of tedious waffle later, the company still reckons £600 quid will do, while RMT rightly...

Tubeworker has published a special issue of our printed bulletin for drivers. Download it here.

Well, the votes are in and the result is a YES for industrial action by our members against the company’s latest plans to cut costs by attacking the terms and conditions of its workforce. We now join the TSSA who have also voted overwhelmingly for strike action over the same issues. Yes, you read...

Following a big majority for strike action in RMT's ballot, RMT and TSSA have jointly announced a 72-hour strike. The two unions' joint press release is copied below. LUL management's attack on our staffing levels and job security is very serious - and we must all now pull together to ensure a...

The ISS cleaning company, which has many cleaning contracts on the Underground, has started checking cleaners' National Insurance numbers. They aim to root out people who are working without the correct papers, and cleaners could face instant dismissal if a problem is found.

Many of the...

Applicants for SSMF have been left waiting for assessment dates due to the very high demand for drivers assessments. Yes, to assess all the external driver applicants they've been encouraging to apply!

CSAs going to drivers' assessments are reporting that they are totally outnumbered by...

Recent reports from new CSAs coming out of Ashfield House say that they only get five full days of training now! What a contrast to the month of intensive training gained by many older members of staff back when London Underground was bothered about running a railway.

It's obviously cheaper to...

Thoughts on our unions' industrial strategies - comments welcome.

So here we are again; a fresh dispute looms as a result of London Underground’s latest attempt to casualise its workforce and attack many of the hard-won terms and conditions of our members. With the strike ballot almost over, it is...

Remember dynamic risk assessments? That's where management - in the person of a Rostered Duty Officer - can make an on-the-spot decision to assess that a particular procedure is 'safe' even if it's against the rules.

You think that's bad enough? Well, management have now adopted the notion of...

Management's latest wheeze for bullying the sick is the 'rainbow chart'. This device enables them to identify a 'pattern' of sickness even amongst those staff whose attendance is so good that they have not actually triggered the attendance policy.

For instance ... Perhaps you had two days off in...

LUL's plan to move detrainments from Willesden Junction to Stonebridge Park will whip staff out of the frying pan and toss them into the fire.

Stonebridge lacks the most basic facilities that station staff need to get through a shift in minimum comfort. The best 'solution' management seem able to...

Management reckon the Ticket Office Procedures Handbook is a wee bit bulky; a tad old-fashioned; and perhaps as not as user-friendly as it could be. You'll get no argument from Tubeworker there.

So they plan to slim it down, chop it up into bite-size chunks and give it a make-over. Worry not, there...

Thought Metronet workers had won a deal with the superbly-effective strike action last Autumn? Well yes, they did, but now the union is having to defend it against a management apparently determined to squirm out of it.

TfL has refused to meet with Metronet union reps, even though they are supposed...

LUL has upheld the outrageous sacking of Eva Bayford on appeal. Eva's workmates are now gearing up for indutrial action to demand her reinstatement - and the rest of us should do all we can to help.

There's a long-standing labour movement maxim that 'an injury to one is an injury to all'...

Tory Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson has unveiled his transport policy, promising a no-strike deal on the Tube. It’s more proof of the reactionary agenda of the ex-public schoolboy Henley MP, who may have a serious chance of winning the election.

Johnson, already infamous for once calling black...

TSSA - 'the union that never strikes' - is rapidly changing its spots. Members on the Tube have voted by 81% (on a 49% turnout) to strike against LUL management's attempts to cut and casualise the workforce.

With RMT's ballot papers going out tomorrow, our priority now must be to get the biggest...

The chickens are finally coming home to roost for the Central line's 92 stock, as the motors begin to give up the ghost. Everyone always knew they were dodgy, and over recent weeks, the brushes have been wearing out and the motors flashing over.

Management thought they could patch and mend, and...

Latest news from the casualisation and de-staffing dispute is that talks resume tomorrow and RMT will send out ballot papers on Thursday. TSSA's ballot finishes next week, and reps are predicting a hefty Yes vote.

In last week's talks, it appears that management made a number of concessions...

Wide Aisle Gates (WAGs) were recently been installed at Euston. It's better for CSAs not to be tethered to the manual gate and to be able to leave it for a second to help someone who's stuck. But it needs to be said that, while WAGs have made some things easier, working the gateline is just as...

RMT has won the reinstatement of Mukesh Mahatma, after management backed down in the face of a strike threat. Or perhaps the company just suddenly saw the error of its judgment!

As readers will know, LUL sacked Mukesh over two boxes of KitKats. Staff on the Canary Wharf group recognised this...