Strikes - Central, Waterloo & City and Piccadilly lines 7/11 and 8/11

[westv]

I just noticed this on the TFL website this morning so there might be others who don't know either.
Shouldn't affect me but I thought I'd post anyway.
.

 

[kristiang85]

Sadiq's "zero days of strikes if I'm elected mayor" promise hasn't exactly held up well.

 

[Daniel]

The Piccadilly line strike has been called off; the Central & Waterloo & City line strikes are still set to go ahead.

 

[Kite159]

Must be the time of year they go on strike wanting more money or to work less hours...

Or is it to try and get a driver who was suspended for failing a drugs test back into work?

 

[Antman]

The suggestions seem to be that RMT and ASLEF are out because of two drivers, who have been disciplined for:

1. Opening doors when some of the train isn't in a station; and
2. Failing a drugs test

Now, presumably the former is difficult to do and isn't as simple as just 'opening the doors by pressing a button' and the latter is failing a test.

But are the more expert people here aware of any more detail than the spun versions out there?

Was there a good reason to open the doors as driver did/was there a malfunction?

Did the drugs test relate prescribed properly taken drugs which were just vote thresholds (which have huge safety margins built in) or similar?

I really struggle to see how you could have a whacked up driver or one who wilfully gets the door opening wrong..... they are professionals at what they do and why risk your passengers (and your own career) for something that, as sensationalised as the press does, seems ludicrous? So is there a more sensible explanation for the headlines ?

(I did look in the other sections but couldn't find anything, which seemed odd as it's a current strike....)

 

[sefton]

In relation to the doors - https://www.standard.co.uk/news/tra...er-colleague-sacked-for-opening-a3954341.html

"

The Tube strike centres on the refusal by London Underground to reinstate an experienced driver who was sacked for opening doors at a station while two carriages were still in a tunnel.

Tube chiefs say that in order to do this the driver, who is not identified, would have had to manually override safety systems. It is alleged that they failed to report the incident properly when it happened at Wanstead station shortly before the morning peak period. An appeal hearing upheld the sacking."

 

[Islineclear3_1]

We know nothing other than what has appeared in the press.

I personally would not like to speculate

Obviously there is overwhelming support for the driver concerned.

 

[sefton]

Obviously there is overwhelming support for the driver concerned.

Not from their ex-employer.

 

[bramling]

The suggestions seem to be that RMT and ASLEF are out because of two drivers, who have been disciplined for:

1. Opening doors when some of the train isn't in a station; and
2. Failing a drugs test

Now, presumably the former is difficult to do and isn't as simple as just 'opening the doors by pressing a button' and the latter is failing a test.

But are the more expert people here aware of any more detail than the spun versions out there?

Was there a good reason to open the doors as driver did/was there a malfunction?

Did the drugs test relate prescribed properly taken drugs which were just vote thresholds (which have huge safety margins built in) or similar?

I really struggle to see how you could have a whacked up driver or one who wilfully gets the door opening wrong..... they are professionals at what they do and why risk your passengers (and your own career) for something that, as sensationalised as the press does, seems ludicrous? So is there a more sensible explanation for the headlines ?

(I did look in the other sections but couldn't find anything, which seemed odd as it's a current strike....)

I’m not going to comment on the specifics of this case...

...however the Central Line does seem to have a “blame the driver” culture. There was an incident during the olympics when a train started smouldering at Leyton. It was initially thought to be a seized axle box, but in the end it was found to simply be some detritus under the train which had heated up and ignited. This was only after the train had been skated several miles and shut down the line for several hours. The driver got implicated for all this - firstly how is the driver trained to diagnose a seized axle box, and secondly what about all the other managerial and technical staff who attended and didn’t make the correct diagnosis?

There have been a few other similar examples since.

On a more general note there are ER issues brewing up on other lines too for various reasons - watch this space unfortunately.

 

[sprunt]

On a more general note there are ER issues brewing up on other lines too for various reasons - watch this space unfortunately.

What's ER?

 

[philthetube]

There have been other drivers sacked for failing drugs tests, the unions would not support a driver who failed one if there was not something wrong somewhere. There are some issues where it is accepted that there is nothing to be done to save a job and failing drug or alcohol tests is one of them.

 

[Mojo]

What's ER?

It means Employee Relations.

 

[sprunt]

Thanks.