‘ROCK SOLID,’ said RMT leader Bob Crow about yesterday’s and today’s 48-hour strike by London Underground RMT and TSSA members.
Thousands of Tube drivers and station staff are on strike against the cutting of the jobs of 1,000 station staff and the closure of all of the network’s ticket offices.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: ‘This is not about technology, it’s all about cutbacks.’
‘The Mayor and London Underground have got to introduce, as a result of the government cutbacks, a 12% cut per year.’
Crow said: ‘During his election programme he (Johnson) said he would not close ticket offices.’
Crow added: ‘All the people that remain on London Underground have got to go through the humiliating process of reapplying for their own jobs, these are the same people who have been doing their jobs for 20-25 years.’
At Finsbury Park, John Leach, RMT, told News Line: ‘The strike is rock solid and despite the inconvenience the public are supporting us.
‘The public do not believe Boris Johnson’s propaganda story.
‘If Boris Johnson goes and bans strikes it will lead to a General Strike. If you disenfranchise ordinary people they have nothing left to lose and they will fight.’
Norman, another RMT Rep, went on to say: ‘The RMT held an independent poll and two-thirds of the public support our action.’
On the picket line at Arnos Grove crew depot, RMT rep Dean O’Hanlon told News Line: ‘This is the strongest strike in living memory – train drivers and station staff united on the picket line.
‘We’re fighting against austerity cuts being driven by an idealogical mayor hellbent on wanting London Underground workers to pay for these cuts with our jobs and conditions. We’re standing against them.’
RMT Assistant General Secretary Steve Hedley said: ‘We want a safe professional service out there.
‘The predictions are and the forecast is that we are going to have even more people using the Tube.
‘Surely we should be increasing the number of station staff rather than reducing them by a thousand.’
The Tories are considering bans on public sector strikes and are including the proposal in their party manifesto for the next general election.
Both Crow and Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA, condemned the mayor for refusing to meet them.