LONDON MAYOR PROMISES £5 BILLION TUBE CUTS

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: january 2010 :: RMTnews 16 R MT has exposed the full extent of the first wave of cuts under Boris Johnson’s £5 billion tube savings programme with 144 station ticket offices and 1200 jobs under threat of the axe. In the first phase of LUL’s “Operational Services Review” – management code for the cuts machinery – savage reductions are being proposed across the tube network. Only main terminals will retain a full ticket office function, smaller central stations will have ticket offices open at peak times with the remainder – 144 stations – reduced to ticket machines only. Station staff numbers will be reduced by up to 1,200 with RMT warning that safety and security of the travelling public will be seriously compromised as LU drive towards unstaffed operation of stations by April 2010. BOJO MANIFESTO PLEDGE In his 2008 manifesto, London mayor Boris Johnson, who also Chair’s Transport for London, said that he would make transport more convenient “by halting the proposed ticket office closures, and ensuring there is always a manned ticket office at every station”. He started his election campaign with the pledge to ‘be a mayor for zone six as well as zone one’. Yet the majority of the 40 ticket offices targeted for closure are at stations on the outskirts of Greater London and fall within the territory that Mr Johnson is keen to represent. Boris Johnson was photo- graphed during the 2008 campaign at a protest against ticket office closures in Harrow and signed the petition organised by Passengers United Against Ticket Office Closures. RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said that the savage cuts to jobs and ticket offices exposed by RMT revealed that all the pledges about services to passengers being protected from the £5 billion cuts programme are worthless. “Boris Johnson, the chair of TfL, was elected by Londoners on an explicit manifesto pledge to ensure a ticket office at every station. “RMT challenges the mayor to stick by that pledge and demand the binning of this cuts plan or stand exposed as a hypocrite who rips up key manifesto commitments to the voters who put him into office. “The job cuts planned for underground stations would leave passengers dangerously exposed in the event of an emergency and would ratchet up the dangers for the public, particularly women, travelling late at night. “It is clear from these plans that LU bosses are pushing towards unstaffed operation of stations regardless of the risks,” Bob said. RMT plans to mobilise a campaign to stop the cuts and will take whatever action is required to defend members’ jobs and a safe and efficient service for the travelling public. LONDON MAYOR PROMISES £5 BILLION TUBE CUTS 144 ticket offices and 1,200 jobs under threat as Boris Johnson rips up manifesto pledge against Tube cuts