RMT to ballot 10,000 members as Tube bosses announce jobs cull plan

London Transport Union RMT to ballot all members for strike action from Monday as TfL announces first phase of mass job cuts.

LONDON TRANSPORT UNION RMT confirmed today that it will begin a ballot of over 10,000 members across all grades after TFL refused to give assurances on jobs, pensions and working conditions in the midst of an on-going financial crisis driven by central Government.

TFL have upped the ante today by announcing plans to axe 600 staff posts in what the union says is the opening shot in a programme of jobs carnage that will target safety critical station grades.

The union says that it will be campaigning for a massive yes vote in the ballot and has made it clear that it will take whatever action is necessary to prevent staff paying the price for a financial crisis that is not of their making. The ballot will close on the 10th January.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said;

"A financial crisis at TFL has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten the working conditions and‎ pensions of our members.

"Today we have seen the opening salvo in what will become an all out assault on safety critical staff posts with 600 jobs on the block, mainly amongst our station members.

"The ballot opens Monday and we will be campaigning for a massive yes vote. The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis and we will coordinate a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat. "

> RMT National News

Monday, 4th March
RMT members working for Bidvest Noonan on Alstom NTL and TPE contracts will take strike action from Monday.
Friday, 1st March
RMT have won a pay rise for London Overground staff working for Arriva Rail London.
Thursday, 29th February
OFFSHORE UNION RMT sent condolences to Norwegian colleagues after a S-92 helicopter ditched into the sea off the coast of Norway while in training for oil firm Equinor, killing one crew member.
Tuesday, 27th February
RMT will hold a 'Rail Cuts Cost Lives' rally and lobby MSPs at Holyrood on Thursday.
Tuesday, 27th February
Seafarers union RMT, today lambasted government inaction over challenging super exploitation in the shipping industry after new figures showed that only 11% of employees in the British shipping industry are UK residents.