London Underground:
Walk out prompts ASLEF ballot
THE TRAIN driver’s union ASLEF are to ballot their 2,200 drivers on
London Underground for a series of one-day strikes. The socialist spoke
to workers on the Northern Line:
The strike ballot is in response to management’s plans for new
disciplinary and attendance policies. These policies would make it far
easier for management to sack and discipline staff and more difficult to
get proper representation.
In preparation for these new procedures management have gone on a
discipline frenzy. At the Morden depot alone, four drivers have recently
been demoted to station assistants and a driver has been sacked.
Andy Reed, ASLEF’s national organiser, has accused London Underground
(LUL) of: "Ignoring agreements, imposing change without negotiation and
inflicting excessive punishments".
The sacking of the Morden driver was the last straw for the drivers
at this depot. He was sacked for one instance of a signal passed at
danger in aggravated circumstances.
The usual punishment for this kind of error would be a two-year final
caution. At worst he would be demoted to Station Assistant for a couple
of years. Everyone agreed that this punishment was harsh and unfair.
This driver is a member of ASLEF, so everyone expected his union to
immediately call mass depot meetings and to ballot for action to get him
reinstated. Most of the drivers at Morden are members of RMT but there
is a tradition of not crossing each other’s picket lines. They have a
history of fighting to get unfairly dismissed workers reinstated.
But ASLEF left it so late that even if they balloted, all avenues for
reinstatement would have been exhausted before anything was done.
The drivers decided to call a depot meeting themselves and called a
strike for 9 January to coincide with the second strike by RMT station
staff. They called for the depot to respect station staff picket lines.
On the first station staff strike on New Year’s Eve dozens of drivers
had respected the picket lines, resulting in the Northern Line being one
of the most disrupted.
Before the strike on 9 January, Morden drivers toured stations
telling staff that drivers at Morden would be on strike too, boosting
their confidence.
On the strike day, by 8am 18 stations on the Northern Line had been
shut down and management were only able to run a 40% train service. This
is because many drivers at the other depots had respected picket lines.
Management were only able to run four trains from Morden. They were only
able to open stations by disregarding safety and using Revenue
Inspectors, members of TSSA, as a mobile strike-breaking force, with
some working excessive hours.
The press were apoplectic that the drivers had dared to take action.
The Evening Standard was spitting blood. They had been stalking Rob
Rankin, the sacked driver, for days.
They were encamped outside his house and following his family around.
Rob told the strikers that he and his family were grateful to all who
took action on his behalf.
Even if he didn’t get reinstated he would never forget that the depot
stood by him.
An Evening Standard journalist turned up to the picket line but no
one would talk to her.
Senior managers came out throwing their weight about. They threw RMT
flags to the side and asked everyone if they were station staff or train
drivers – anyone who answered "train driver" would be arrested if they
didn’t leave.
After a short meeting the flags were replanted and the picket
continued as normal.
These managers had overestimated the effect of their intervention,
they had already sent out an email saying that the pickets had been
withdrawn and to expect a more normal service in the afternoon.
It is good news that ASLEF have decided to ballot. RMT drivers are
being balloted for action short of a strike in order to refuse to work
on the grounds of safety during station staff disputes.
But these disputes should not be kept separate. The union head
offices should take a leaf out of the book of the Northern Line workers
and co-ordinate the disputes for our mutual benefit. The RMT should also
ballot on the disciplinary processes.
New station staff rosters are due to be implemented by 5 February.
Clearly those workers need to take action before then. Every underground
worker should support their action. For a train drivers’ strike to
succeed, RMT drivers would have to respect ASLEF picket lines.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has declared war on the tube unions,
both ASLEF and RMT. It is urgent that everyone stands united.
AS WE go to press, a deal on station staffing has been announced. The
RMT leadership is recommending acceptance of the deal in a ballot of
4,000 RMT members. The ballot result is due at the end of the month.
More details in a future issue.
