30.01.17
RMT confirms February Tube strikes in station staffing dispute
The RMT has confirmed that its staff will be conducting further strikes on 5 and 7 February as part of the union’s ongoing dispute with London Underground (LU) over station staffing and safety.
The union has instructed all its LU station and revenue staff not to book shifts on those two dates after the parties failed to make progress during recent ACAS talks.
The RMT warned that it will soon announce further strike dates in March once the details have been determined and agreed.
Its general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “RMT will not stand by while safety is compromised on LU off the back of cash-led cuts to staffing levels that the union has warned would have a serious, lasting and corrosive impact for staff and passengers alike.
“With the constant overcrowding on stations and platforms it is only a matter of time before there is a major tragedy if we don’t act decisively. Our dispute is about taking action to haul back the cuts machine and put safety back at the top of the agenda.”
Along with the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), the RMT is currently contesting several ticket office closures along with 838 cuts of frontline staff, arguing that the measures are having a “toxic impact” on passenger safety.
TfL has acknowledged that its operating model of having control rooms unstaffed “did not match customer demand or resourcing levels”, leading the unions to say that LU bosses have accepted the “unarguable” case for restoring safety-critical staff.
While the RMT has confirmed that it remains available for further talks with LUL, this morning the TSSA has decided to suspend its planned strikes for next week, after its own ACAS talks with the LU ended satisfactorily.
The union said that the LU’s proposals, which apparently include the creation of 325 new staff posts, go “some way towards restoring adequate safety” on the Tube.
“Our LU workplace representatives have now had the chance to discuss the outcome of the last fortnight's discussions with the company at [ACAS] and we believe LU's latest proposals – which include the creation of an additional 325 new posts – pave the way for a resolution to this long-standing dispute,” said the union’s leader, Manuel Cortes.
Cortes revealed that the TSSA will now seek further talks with LU in order to gain further clarification on the company’s offer.
Earlier this month, members of the Greater London Authority criticised current mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to avert RMT’s recent LU strike, accusing him of backing down on his pre-election pledge to bring ‘zero strikes’ during his term as mayor.
(Image c. Nick Ansell PA Wire)
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