Tube Strike over sacked drivers

So just when most of us thought the current London Underground strike was all about pay, it appears that the latest pay deal which TfL offered was accepted but at the last minute RMT union leaders demanded the re-instatement of two sacked drivers.

One driver was sacked over opening the doors on the wrong side of a Victoria Line train & then lying about carrying out safety checks and the other was sacked for theft. Peter Hendy, Transport Commissioner said "We believed we were making progress until last night (Monday night) when the RMT said 'We'll strike unless you reinstate our sacked members'. That the RMT should cause chaos for no good reason is outrageous. We want to go forward, not back, and striking isn't the way to do that".


At time of writing, there is nothing on the RMT's site about the reinstatement of the drivers or about TfL meeting them with a pay deal they were happy with. Like the commenters on yesterday's post I wonder how many RMT members would have gone on strike purely because of the two sacked drivers?

Was this even one of the questions tabled as part of the ballot? Have RMT senior members stretched the "yes" vote to include this new element? 10,000 staff were eligible to vote, 2,810 supported strike action with 488 against. The remainder did not vote, reported The Evening Standard. How would this strike had gone if all factors were on the table?

I guess we'll really never know.


Some workers may decide to cross picket lines and carry on working as normal, so there may be a chance your line or station is operating. For now, as the notice at my station last night said, keep a close eye on the TfL website and listen to local news to see how you'll be able to get into work today.


The Northern Line and Jubilee lines seem to be offering the best service (with a few stations closed on them), but the Bakerloo, Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Waterloo & City Lines are completely suspended. Other lines are running a partial service with some stations on those lines completely closed. The situation is changing all the time and TfL are aiming to get more stations open, so check before you leave home.

On a lighter note - The only funny thing I'ce seen to come out of the Tube Strike so far is a fun Tube Strike drinking game based on headlines we may see today in the press, or hear on TV. My favourites are:

"Bob Crow complains about 'bullying', demonstrating slight lack of self-awareness. (A Watney's Party 7)

Commuter gets fined for trying to use Oyster pre-pay on mainline rail, despite TfL pledge that it’ll be allowed. (three fingers of Bacardi)

33,796 England fans sing 'Bob Crow, is a wanker, is a wanker' live on ITV1 (case of Stella, followed by 18, 453 and 53 buses home)

London news media properly investigate why industrial relations on Tube are so bad. (a shot of… hang on, that’s just taking the piss)"

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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