‘WE’RE out because the fight is over jobs, conditions and work/life balance. And although it isn’t primarily about money, we do expect to be properly remunerated,’ RMT rep Roy Dubois told News Line yesterday.
He was speaking on the early morning picket line outside King’s Cross Tube station during the 24-hour strike that began at 6.30pm on Wednesday in the dispute over plans to introduce the Night Tube.
Their leaflet said: ‘RMT supports the Night Tube. We are committed to the expansion of public transport and believe more Tube services, more of the time is a good thing. But we want Night Tube introduced in a way that doesn’t wreck our members’ lives, and doesn’t compromise passenger safety. Increased services need increased staffing.’
RMT rep Dubois continued: ‘I already work seven nights out of twenty shifts, I’m blowed if I’m working more. The feeling is solid, we’re not having it. And there’s no point in LU keep turning up at ACAS with the same “offer”. For many RMT members, the revised offer is worse.’
Fellow RMT rep Sean said: ‘The dispute is going to escalate. LU are not listening. The bottom line is we’ve got over 100 managers paid over £100,000, and they say there’s no money to properly reward staff for the Night Tube.’
TSSA member John added: ‘The strike isn’t about the money, it’s about health and safety for the staff and, more importantly, for passengers. The TUC support is ideal. It motivates support from the wider trade union movement. We need the TUC to unite us all in the fight against government cuts in the public sector and to actively promote the return of the national rail system back into public ownership.’
Pickets were out at Elephant & Castle underground station yesterday morning. Steve Crowley, ASLEF rep and part of the negotiating team at ACAS, told News Line: ‘This is the second strike and it is 100% successful. The whole Tube system is closed down. If there is no movement in management’s position then we have further strikes planned for late August, and if it goes further, we just won’t carry out the changes in September. We will refuse to work those shifts. The attitude of the current management is “we can talk but in the end you will do as we say”. Needless to say that’s getting people’s backs up.’
On the picket line at Arnos Grove, Craig Diggins RMT train driver told News Line: ‘The strike is rock solid. It’s a step forward that all four unions are united for the first time since 1926. That’s a great achievement. We need to escalate it to 48 hours. Whatever happens we have to keep going. The alternative is oblivion. I think we should increasingly be coordinating our actions across the country.’
Graham Dean, ASLEF, added: ‘Something has to work. We need to suspend the Night Tube. If they don’t, we’ll have to escalate the action. The more we’re out the more pressure on the government and the management.’