Tube staff plan five days of strikes

These were called off weren't they, or are they back on again?

 

As far as I'm aware, these are new strikes. I assume the one's you're thinking about carriageline are the February ones, where the second bout were called off at the last minute.

I should imagine management really don't want these 5 days of striking. Hopefully it gets called off, would be hugely inconvenient for me.

 

I usually have a Lot of time for trade unions and their activities but to me calling 5 days of strikes after 8 weeks of talks has all the hallmarks of bullying by the RMT to try and force things their way therefore I hope the bosses don't just cave in to all their demands

 

It's because LU Management have not budged an inch from their inflexible position re cuts, that the RMT are calling for strikes.

 

Ok thanks for the information ,I did not realise that

 

It is incredibly infuriariating that TfL can use their friends in the media to make RMT look like the bad guys and management like totally reasonable folk

 

Perhaps you could summarise why you think the RMT are being reasonable and the management are the bad guys?

 

Straight after the last strikes were suspended the MD, Mike Brown stated in the 'standard' that he had no intention of keeping any ticket offices open, regardless of the talks and the majority of the public wanting ticketing facilities at least in Zone 1. mediation talks at ACAS have not gone anywhere, and were a sham to call off the strikes, and save face for bungling Boris! The company is determined to cut around 20% of its staff, at a time when the system is getting more and more crowded, regrade/ resalary those that remain, and run the stations on the minimum staffing it can get away with by law. the run down of the ticket offices has been going on for several years, £5 minimum top ups, removing non-oyster fares (i.e paper zone 1/2 1/4 & 2/6 travelcards) and increasing non oyster fares, at each fare change, not covering duties and putting out spurious data to the media. This has a lot more than closing the ticket offices at heart, removing supervision, and total rationalisation of station staffing for the prime reason of saving hard cash £, rather than providing the previous 'world class service' which it aspired to. bad news for staff and customers alike, and maybe a cause for concern safety wise in years to come, only time will tell.... The labour assembly at the mayors office are pushing for a pubic consultation on the changes and cuts, which would be a very good start.

 

TfL staff have also voted to strike if talks do not go anywhere (they haven't so far).

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tfl-managers-back-strike-action-london-travel-chaos-looms-1445191

 

Overtime ban from 29th April, that will make a big difference.

 

This such a pointless exercise. I personally feel no sympathy for the unions anymore and feel that should just suck it up to try make the best for what's inevitable. TfL have to streamline to save money somehow (what company hasn't had to in recent times?) In the name of technology now, ticket offices (bar a few at the very busy Zone 1 / Tourist stations) are pointless. They've had to direct me to the phone line many times because they couldn't resolve my simple Oyster query.

More staff in ticket areas and platforms would be of great assistance than being sat behind windowed booths. Job cuts aren't nice but they can't be unavoidable anywhere.

Once again, RMTs arrogance will lose the publics support again. I know it takes two to tango but you cannot protect an old system forever. Time moves on and as long as public safety is always in the eye of both, then I can't see why job cuts has to be a sticking point in the face of change.

 

I had to swap my Oyster card (from a Barclaycard Oyster) on Friday and was directed by the very polite man at King's Cross to phone up the helpline to get everything moved over, so it does sometimes seem like staff are effectively doing themselves out of a job. I guess most things can now be done without needing to queue up at a ticket office.

Just like people asking customers to use self checkouts without realising that most of them will one day not be needed once we all self checkout (or use our own scanners).

 

I'm surprised the RMT hasn't made more noise about the new grades and pay cuts which I'd have thought were at least as big an issue as the job cuts. Does seem an odd time to be cutting jobs just as the 24-hour tube is to be introduced at weekends.

 

I did hear about the new grades/pay cuts. It's something no-one should have to bare and TfL should do better to protect the people who want to stay on. However, surely more of the staff converted front-line will assist the 24-hour tube?

IMHO, RMT don't portray themselves entirely well in delivering the facts. I know I don't rely on the underground anymore when commuting but the last experience of the strike makes me think there needs to be much more serious considerations to be more realistic when there's a lack of sympathy for striking now. It's 2014 and striking is pathetic in my eyes. You can't keep running an ageing concept. It just needs to be phased out more slowly than what the TfL want to do.

 

What lines will be affected?

 

I thought there were no compulsory redundancies?

 

There are 379 people at TfL who earn over £100,000 a year.

Mike Brown, Underground boss, pocketed nearly £476,000 last year. Vernon Everitt, TfL's marketing manager, trousered £364,000. Sir Peter Hendy, the comissioner, took home a whopping £652,000.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/g...ves-and-staff-boris-johnson-told-8949085.html

What was that about streamlining and saving money?

 

And your point is???

 

I don't think there's many staff mind being out and about - but there will be lower staff levels overall so they'll have less backup - many on a station alone.
Coupled with a lower grade (and pay) for most of these staff they're not happy.

So what should the union do? They've tried talking and TfL don't seem to want to listen. Striking seems to be the only way to get them to talk.

So long as staff "co-operate" with the changes. Which seems to mean accepting them unquestioningly.

I think his point is its odd that some people are seeing large pay rises whilst others are seeing freezes and cuts - those for whom a £6000 pay cut may mean genuine hardship.

 

When it's those at the top, it's a good job well done and justly rewarded. When it's those at the bottom, it's taking the **** and not affordable.

 

'No compulsory redundancies' is a meaningless quote to newspapers to make management look better and the unions unreasonable. It means they can get rid of staff currently earning 30k and offer them jobs worth about 15k with none of their former terms and conditions.

Then they can come after those jobs and sell them to agencies etc.

 

But if the union get what they want, how do we know there won't be a strike for another reason?

 

You can't guarantee that. But given staff aren't being paid when they're on strike there tends to have to be something fairly important to strike for.

There haven't actually been many strikes on the Underground - but on some lines they're very effective.

There's been even fewer called by usually moderate unions like TSSA.

 

What's that got to do with anything? How do we know any unions in any other industries or TOCs won't strike over anything?

As the above says, staff won't back a strike unless they feel it a worthy cause - they don't get paid for it so if they can't see any gain from it then they won't vote yes.

You seem to think the unions are just out to cause trouble. Sorry to disappoint but whilst some high up in unions have a political agenda the union are nothing without member backing and members won't back a strike unless they see it as the only option.

 

Are all causes 'worthy'? If not, how do we know which ones are?

 

I'm sure they're not. Are all causes unworthy? What are you getting at? Should people not be allowed to strike because they may abuse that right?

 

People should of course be allowed to strike. But employers shouldn't give in to them. Otherwise, there could be a strike about anything.

 

Never? No matter how unfair the employer's proposals? There could be a strike about anything, but curiously there very rarely is - in any industry.

 

In most industries, people generally leave or threaten to leave if they don't like what is going on in their current job. In many cases, the employer will offer more money or better conditions in order to keep the employee. So if an employer is particularly unfair compared to other employers, then they will lose their best employees. This probably leads to better outcomes for employees compared to striking.