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RMT station staff and train operator members voted on Thursday by a margin of five to one for strike action in defence of safety on the London Underground. 

The ballot result opens the way for joint action with fellow Tube union TSSA, whose own members voted for action earlier this month. The unions are opposing management attacks on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work.

Strike dates will be announced on Friday at a press conference to be held at RMT head office from 11.30am.

Safety and security of the network 

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said, “This vote reveals the strength of feeling among our members that the safety and security of the network, for staff and passengers alike, will not be compromised under any conditions.”

RMT’s strike ballot saw 1,673 members vote for action with 333 voting against.

London Underground temporarily halted plans to close 40 ticket offices and to cut the opening times of many more after the unions’ campaign campaign last year led to a public outcry.

It has refused to say, however, that the plans have been withdrawn completely. RMT and TSSA are demanding the complete withdrawal of the plans.

The unions claim that London Underground has unilaterally decided to vary Section 4.2 of the Congestion Control and Emergency Plan to remove the specification of the minimum numbers of each grade of station staff that are to be on duty at any time.

RMT and TSSA are demanding the reinstatement of the original numbers of each grade of fully trained and fully familiarised station staff.

Mobile supervisors 

They also say that London Underground has changed its policy on refusals to work on the ground of safety under the guise of simplification, which they say undermines safety and breaching legislation. RMT and TSSA are demanding the immediate re-instatement of the original policy.

London Underground wants to introduce ‘mobile supervisors’ responsible for several stations, and to continue to staff stations recently taken over from Silverlink only during the limited hours decided by the previous franchise holder.

"What happens in an emergency when the mobile supervisor is in the wrong place – or even stuck between stations on a train?" the RMT asks.

RMT and TSSA are demanding that every station is fully staffed during traffic hours by the appropriate number of customer-service and station assistants, supervised by station supervisors in line with agreements and safety requirements.

Heathrow Terminal 5 

London Underground wants to staff the new station at Heathrow Terminal 5 with staff subcontracted from other firms but wearing London Underground uniforms.

RMT and TSSA believe that this has serious safety implications and has demanded that the station is staffed by people trained and employed directly by London Underground.

London Underground wants to continue using agency staff on former Silverlink stations, including those used for ticketing and revenue duties.

RMT and TSSA are demanding that the practice ends when the training of former Silverlink staff is completed and current contracts ends, and a guarantee that only directly employed London Underground staff are used for stations and ticketing operations.

Complete review of recruitment policy

RMT and TSSA are also demanding an agreement that security at all London Underground-owned or -managed stations must be provided at all times by directly employed staff in appropriate grades, supplemented by the normal co-operation with the BTP and Metropolitan police forces.

RMT and TSSA are demanding an agreement that there must be no rostered lone working unless undertaken from a place of safety.

The unions say they are angry at what they see as London Underground's systematic denial of career opportunities to experienced railway staff and recruiting externally, turning on its head an agreement that external advertising can take place if there are insufficient internal applications.

RMT and TSSA are demanding a complete review of recruitment policy to establish a policy that preserves and encourages a career path for experienced railway staff.

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Related links

• RMT
• TSSA
• London Underground
• Transport for London