Strike Action

The RMT and TSSA today announced the dates of their strike, a strike that they are warning will be the first of many unless they get their way. LU won't back down over the re-organisation, so RMT and TSSA need to be careful here. If the strikes go on, become less supported and eventually fail to achieve their objective, they'll look very weak.

Support for the strike at my depot is anything but steadfast. Even the RMT Industrial Rep is not very happy about it. Two of the drivers I spoke to today said they were considering leaving the RMT. Most of the others wouldn't dream of doing that, but the consensus seems to be that they'll probably walk out for the first strike and then work during the rest of them. In straightened economic times, the union needs to make train operators feel personally threatened to get them to support the strike, but the LU re-org only affects station staff, duty managers and 'centurions' - the management level above duty manager. The RMT has been attempting to do this, mainly by way of posters warning drivers that "station staff won't be there to help you if something goes wrong", but I don't think it's getting through.

RMT and TSSA are also enforcing "work to rule" from now on, which means no overtime. As passengers, this will affect your day-to-day travels on the Tube far more than the exceptional strike day. Train Operator duties are calculated to the minute, and have very little "padding" to allow for delays. Even a very short period of "minor delays" can push many drivers into overtime - we're only talking a matter of minutes here, but this is still classed as overtime. Under work to rule, if it is well supported then passengers could start to notice problems almost every day. Late-running drivers will refuse to take trains any further, leading to trains terminating wherever there are sidings, no matter how far that is from their destination. As an average example, a westbound West Ruislip train on the Central line, due for driver changeover at White City but running late, could be terminated at Marble Arch or White City.

The 6 September strike, as I have said in previous posts, will be an interesting one. Will it be well-supported or not? Have the unions overplayed their hand? Whatever happens London, never fear - I'll be at work that day.