Another tube strike

[Mr T]

its off, as lots of big posters around the tube this evening said.

the workers considering strike action aren't ones who have been on strike for many years - they're the maintenance workers, not drivers/station staff. they're striking because having negotated a deal by which tube workers affected by the PPP would be TUPE-ed over to Metronet and employed by them to continue doing essentially the same jobs. Now they are proposed to be split further between the companies in the Metronet consortium (including but not limited to Bombardier as a previous poster suggested), reducing their collective bargaining abilities and probably leading to even more of an increase in cheap temporary labour and cost-cutting on safety standards.

it is right that these guys going on strike wouldn't suspend services immediately like drivers striking does, but the important role that they play on the tube would rapidly become clear and the service would be impacted on that; clearly LUL have recognised that and come to a deal. The posters that think the RMT are just posturing to promote themselves clearly have no idea what it means for workers to collectively defend deals agreed with managment..

 

[harpo]

Yes, it's off for now until the next melodrama. These people get paid more than the average junior doctor and certainly a lot more than the average civil servant. What are they on, about £35,000, for operating a joystick.

If Union voices are to be heard (and they must be), then it shouldn't be over this sort of idiocy. Stop holding us to randsome, you fuckers, is what I imagine an awful lot of people are thinking. I certainly am.

 

[Citizen66]

I think the corporate crows crumbled so unfortunately there'll be no disruption on monday.

 

[Citizen66]

Yes, it's off for now until the next melodrama. These people get paid more than the average junior doctor and certainly a lot more than the average civil servant. What are they on, about £35,000, for operating a joystick.

It wasn't even the drivers going on strike you numpty.

Check facts.

 

[Guineveretoo]

What's wrong with using the word "cripple" ?

And the word "cronies" is within a quote, not part of the article.

That said, it's still not especially informative.

That said, given that Bob Crowe's involved, it's probably safe to assume the strike is more about RMT posturing than anything of great consequence.

But I might be wrong so I'm going to see if I can find a more comprehensive explanation about what it's all about, unless someone would like to post up some links?

The thing about trade unions is that they are about their membership, not their general secretary. I mean, if Bob Crowe went on strike on his own, who would notice? The members of RMT have voted for this action, and have said that they are so upset about the threats to their jobs/livelihoods, that they are prepared to lose money in order to protest!

 

[Guineveretoo]

Yes, it's off for now until the next melodrama. These people get paid more than the average junior doctor and certainly a lot more than the average civil servant. What are they on, about £35,000, for operating a joystick.

If Union voices are to be heard (and they must be), then it shouldn't be over this sort of idiocy. Stop holding us to randsome, you fuckers, is what I imagine an awful lot of people are thinking. I certainly am.

Clearly, you know nothing about this dispute, so why don't you just be quiet and stop making a fool of yourself?

 

[Citizen66]

(including but not limited to Bombardier as a previous poster suggested)

I believe I know a little bit more about what's going on than you and your tube poster to be honest as I have a friend in the union.

 

[Mr T]

I believe I know a little bit more about what's going on than you and your tube poster to be honest as I have a friend in the union.

Fair enough - the 'official' explanation is worded a bit ambiguously which is why i thought it wasn't just bombardier:

RMT press release:
Metronet withdraws transfer threat – strike action suspended
Publication Date: April 13 2007

STRIKE ACTION by more than 2,000 Metronet Tube maintenance workers has been suspended after the company this afternoon withdrew plans to transfer RMT members and posts to other companies.

In a dramatic about-turn Metronet informed RMT this afternoon that posts and individuals it intended to transfer to Bombardier would now remain in-house, and that it would not bring forward any further plans for outsourcing.

The company also agreed that escalator refurbishment would be brought back in house, and that it would also enter talks aimed at bringing cleaning contracts and lift refurbishment back in-house, and at ending all biometric booking on and off

"This is the sensible outcome we sought for from the start, and it means quite simply that there will be no outsourcing of our Metronet members jobs," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said this afternoon.

"Our Metronet members deserve congratulating for standing solidly together to defend their organisation, jobs and conditions and to prevent further dangerous fragmentation.

"Their stand, in the face of hostile media attention, has been vindicated by the outcome of this dispute.

"I would also like to thank the other Tube grades who stood shoulder to shoulder with their engineering colleagues," Bob Crow said.

 

[Cobbles]

Fair enough - the 'official' explanation is worded a bit ambiguously which is why i thought it wasn't just bombardier:

In essence much ado about nothing.

"biometric clocking on and off" - wow - such a meaty bone of contention - well worth inflicting misery of thousands of commuters........

 

[Isambard]

Possible transport strike prompts anti worker circle jerk on Urban 75 shocker!

But nice to see a couple of exceptions.

 

[teuchter]

Possible transport strike prompts anti worker circle jerk on Urban 75 shocker!

Why does any challenge to strike action have to be labelled as "anti worker"?

Is it not possible that most of those objecting to the strike action (whether or not the objections are justified) also "work"?

 

[Guineveretoo]

Why does any challenge to strike action have to be labelled as "anti worker"?

Is it not possible that most of those objecting to the strike action (whether or not the objections are justified) also "work"?

Could be. The trouble is that, on this thread anyway, the people objecting to the proposed strike action didn't even know who it was who was threatening to go on strike, which didn't reassure me that it was a thought out response!

 

[Roadkill]

I would imagine some tired rehashing of "public sector good, private sector baaad".

Not that I'm surprised that LU employees would rather work for a public sector conglomerate... It's a soft regime which made it very difficult to fire anyone, and provided insufficient incentives to improve the system, because let’s face it – if you fuck up, massively overspend, etc, government will always bail you out.

By comparison, privatisation and splitting up the tube into smaller companies makes providing the correct incentives easier. Because they don’t have a monopoly on the contract (and could well lose it to another company when it comes up), there’s a huge incentive to create a meritocracy – shedding the pisstakers such as that guy busted playing pro-squash while ‘ill’, and trying hard to come up with other efficiency measures (i.e. like how every other free market functions)

This system isn’t always perfect, but I broadly agree with it. Especially when it comes with a good bidding process and a comprehensively worded legal contract on the government side which can curb the worst corner-cutting tendencies of businesses.

The most cursory look at what's happened on the main line railways since privatisation (for which all of the same arguments were advanced) gives the lie to the ideological position you've taken...

 

[EastEnder]

Possible transport strike prompts anti worker circle jerk on Urban 75 shocker!

For everyone on the boards who instinctively jumps down the throat of "unruly" striking workers, there's someone else who'll blindly assume they must be fully justified "oppressed" workers....

Although in this case, I believe the RMT's concerns were justified.

But I'd still like to know what the hell a "circle jerk" is......

 

[teuchter]

Could be. The trouble is that, on this thread anyway, the people objecting to the proposed strike action didn't even know who it was who was threatening to go on strike, which didn't reassure me that it was a thought out response!

Well, some of the objectors didn't appear to know, that is true enough.

I might suggest that the RMT are responsible for a bit of "boy who cried wolf" at least in some people's minds ... myself included. Because it seems that they will threaten strike over the smallest thing on the tubes, they put themselves in the position that in the event that they call action on something that actually is a valid concern, people just aren't going to take them seriously.

As regards this issue, I'm still not clear about what exactly the issue was/is.

 

[teuchter]

But I'd still like to know what the hell a "circle jerk" is......

same here ...... brings some curious images to mind ....

 

[kyser_soze]

But I'd still like to know what the hell a "circle jerk" is......

I think a biscuit is involved somewhere...