Rail union RMT today served notice of a strike ballot following the announcement by Transport for London (TfL) of their plans to introduce Driver Only Operation (DOO) on the whole of the London Overground network with the axing of 130 safety-critical guards posts. Ballot papers will be despatched to affected members on 31st July 2013 and the ballot will close on 15th August 2013.

To underscore the essential role of the guards, last week there was a major incident near Kentish Town which required the emergency evacuation of over 100 passengers in searing heat between stations. That evacuation was led by the guard and even LOROL admitted in their statement – “The prompt actions of London Overground staff enabled the incident to be brought to a close as quickly as possible.” The company and TFL are now preparing to sack those very same staff whose actions they were praising just a week ago.

The dispute situation has been inflamed by LOROL informing RMT that instead of entering proper negotiations, TfL have “exercised a clause in their contract” giving only six months to implement DOO on the network by the December timetable and have even commenced this process without first achieving the necessary Safety Validation certification required as they seek to bulldoze it through regardless of the safety risks involved.

As well as beginning the balloting process for industrial action RMT will be taking the political fight over this cash-lead attack on safety critical guards jobs into the House of Commons and City Hall and will be

organising a series of public meetings and protests aimed at building support from the travelling public.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

“RMT has now served notice of a ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike on London Overground over the appalling, cash-driven assault on our guards members and the absolutely essential role that they play. These are the very same staff that were being praised for safely evacuating over a hundred passengers from an emergency situation on a LOROL train just a matter of days ago.

“The fight to defend 130 safety-critical guards jobs on London Overground will be centre stage in RMT’s overall battle to defend jobs and safety on London’s transport services. RMT recognises that this lethal proposals has been brought about as result of the 12.5% cut in TfL funding announced in George Osborne’s Comprehensive Spending Review. RMT has made it crystal clear that those cuts will be resisted by this union with all means at our disposal, including industrial action.

"The news that millions of passengers are to be put at risk through plans to throw the guards off London Overground trains on north London routes has already sent shockwaves through transport services and is clearly a foretaste of what is to come.

"We can expect many more of these attacks on jobs and safety as TFL slash hundreds of millions from their budget at Government behest. They will be met with the fiercest possible resistance from RMT as we link up the groups of workers in the firing line. "