SECURITY CHECKS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december :: RMTnews 12 SECURITY: A police officer stands in the entrance hall to North Greenwich underground station as unions call for funding cuts on transport in London to be reversed in the wake of the latest security incident All station and on-board rail staff are being asked to be vigilant in the wake of recent security incidents. The union has always been concerned for the safety of staff and the travelling public. The heightened level of terrorist threat, both national and international, the continuous threat of violence especially at weekends, has again put ordinary transport workers at risk. The union has been seeking clarification from the train operating companies on what procedures are in place for carrying out security checks within stations, staffing levels for carrying out the checks, what training and refresher training is in place and contingency plans when incidents happen. There are obvious concerns that front line staff are being expected to take the lead in security checks despite the cuts in staffing numbers. Inevitably when there are any incidents the staff tend to be the first to be blamed for any perceived ‘security search’ procedure failures in order to free the company of any responsibility. The union has grave concerns over London Underground cutting 900 jobs and train operating companies proposing station and on-train staffing cuts and ticket office closures leaving many locations completely unstaffed. These irresponsible cuts to staffing and the inadequate training in many companies show a dangerous and contemptuous disregard for the safety of staff both on stations and on board trains and that of the travelling public. The recent incident in October at North Greenwich where a “viable” explosive device on an Underground train was found is evident of the importance of permanent increased station staff across the whole transport industry. The alert was sparked after a worker discovered an abandoned bag “full of wires” on an eastbound Jubilee Line train. More than 300 passengers were evacuated as officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command surrounded the station before specialist teams carried out a controlled explosion. The union has asked for the wider issue of security matters to be placed on second tier Health and Safety Committee agendas and all second tier collective bargaining machinery agendas. RMT has also written to sister unions asking them to support the union in this very important matter as well the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and the union’s Parliamentary group. All members working on trains or stations are asked to be vigilant and to forward all specific concerns or incidents of compromised security, especially where there are inadequate staffing levels, on to their relevant second tier safety and industrial representatives. SECURITY CHECKS Union asks rail employers what procedures are in place for carrying out security checks and warns against staffing cuts