TUBE INSPECTIONS SLASHED

Tissue of Lies Support the fight for Jobs and Safety on our Tube RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2011 :: RMTnews 5 R MT warned of more tube chaos for passengers after Transport for London revealed plans to cut the frequency of safety-critical inspections from twice a week to once a week. In a safety licensing concession requested by London Underground the twice weekly inspection of track and infrastructure in sidings and depots will be cutback to just once a week. These inspections are in the areas of highest traffic anywhere on the network with the fleet constantly being shunted in and out. The latest target for cuts is the White City Depot but it is just part of a rolling programme of maintenance and job cuts that London Underground are seeking to roll out across the network by stealth. RMT has warned that key faults like broken rails and loose bolts and fittings will not be picked up with the end result that trains will be stranded, adding to delays and disruption for passengers. LU admit that this latest cutback is cash-led and part of their programme of reducing “head count” - management speak for axing jobs. As part of its concession request TfL uses contradictory language such as the need to “extend” patrolling frequency to once per week, from the current twice per week in the interests of “safety”. TfL claimed that it was “preposterous” to suggest the change would have any impact because it was “where trains run at very low speed”. RMT has pointed out that the speed on these sections is irrelevant – the frequency is what matters and the weight of the train is no different. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that LU had been caught out again halving vital inspections and making a total nonsense of London mayor Boris Johnson’s claim that there will be no cuts at the front line. “This move, ludicrously dressed up as having safety benefits, will trap the fleet in the sidings and depots leaving passengers waiting for trains that never come because an accountant decided that halving safety inspections to cut costs was a good idea,” he said. OLYMPICS DEBACLE TfL has claimed to the media that a working party has been set up with unions to investigate running Tube services for 24 hours a day during the 2012 London Olympics despite not even informing the trade unions involved. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that despite a campaign of spin suggesting that all was sorted, the hard fact is that there is no agreement for operating hours, volume of service, staffing levels or payments the Olympics. "Continued job cuts and attacks on maintenance schedules mean that the tube is short of capacity and prone to regular breakdowns, let alone when we've got another million people to shift around the City. "None of this is helped by Boris Johnson's continued refusal to talk directly with transport unions on the crucial issue of the cuts programme being driven by his officials,” he said. RMT WARNS OF CHAOS AS SAFETY-CRITICAL TUBE INSPECTIONS SLASHED