only 29% of the 1,300 drivers balloted had voted in favour of strike action.

From what I read, one of the “sacked” drivers turned off the safety system on his train. How can that be allowed?

i heard it was because they dropped below andrex

just get the Have I got News for you where he looked like the idiot he is

If only the ballot had been AV ……….. if only

Good on them. Sticking up for one another. Just like the good old days.

.

The two drivers meanwhile are on full pay (~45K / year) at home. Nice work if you can get it.

That’s what union membership gets you.

Did 71% vote against industrial action then? Seems odd that there’d be a strike if that’s the case.

Given the 2 to 1 ratio mentioned earlier in the article, this suggests a return rate of about 45%. May I suggest your ire be directed at the 55% who didn’t bother to vote, given that of course they all would’ve voted against strike action…

The RMT’s announcement follows a 2-1 vote in favour of industrial action by union members

Why the need to strike, what’s wrong with an employment tribunal ?

64% of the electorate at the last general election didn’t vote Tory and look how that turned out

If there is anything whatsoever wrong with the ballot, and don’t worry management will scrutinise it and go through it with a fine tooth comb, it will be declared illegal by the courts.

I like Bob Crow, in fact he’s my hero. Part of the reason I like him is ’cause he tells it as it is. There’s no spin from him, he’s a Millwall supporter, and he doesn’t give a toss what you think of him Flashheart. He’s there to fight for his members and his industry. It’s because there aren’t more people like him that we’re in the shit.

From what I read, one of the “sacked” drivers turned off the safety system on his train. How can that be allowed?

Have you ever driven a train flashy? Do you have the faintest idea what you are talking about? No, thought not.

1/10 for such an obvious troll, go back to snorting cocaine out of a champagne filled trough please.

Hmm yes, onions saving the world one strike at a time…

Have you, Yossarian? Assuming you have, please explain how turning off safety systems in public transport is a good thing.

Ernie, I’m sure all those people who can’t get to work and earn any money to do things like pay the rent, perhaps feed the family, you know, important stuff, while your troughing hero lords it around will be happy that you support him.

the tube is for suckers anyway

this will just emancipate more commuters from public transport bondage and get them to discover the joys of cycling

go bob !

Kimbers, in that alone I will support him! 🙂

Hopefully they’ll all think about joining a union flashy while they’re sat at home wondering how to get in to work.

I thought they were going to change the law on this so that the majority of members had to be in favour, not just the majority of voters.

Why can’t this be settled in a more dignified rather manner. Seems like they are looking for excuses to strike, maybe they’re expecting the nice weather to continue.

Doesn’t particularly contribute to this debate but it’s a good remake of a popular song…

London Underground Song (caution – contains very naughty words)

He’s there to fight for his members and his industry. It’s because t[b]he[/b]re aren’t more people like him th[b]a[/b]t we’re in the shit.

FTFY

Just for you flashy

http://www.stupidlondon.com/2007/12/how-to-drive-a-tube-train.html

Ernie, I’m sure all those people who can’t get to work and earn any money while your troughing hero lords it around will be happy that you support him.

Like Bob Crow, I couldn’t give a toss what Evening Standard readers think. Being right is far more important than appeasing the Tory press. I’m perfectly happy to go out on a limb……surely you must have noticed that ?

As a Rail Industry worker, much as though I detest Brother Crow’s 1970’s rhetoric he is a necessary evil to thwart managements desire to run rough shod over T’s & C’s and safety.

I pay my RMT dues because should I ever get “stiffed” by mangement after an incident the union lawyers will do their best to keep me in a job and/or get me fair compensation.

but surely if you’re incompetent you deserve to get stiffed by management?
or do we live in a world of responsibility without accountability?

Just out of fairness, what is the name of the retarded idiot who manages the underground and decided to abuse his employees rights and cause a strike that will inconvenience so many people?

Im a train driver , not a tube driver but the basics are the same. I cant think of a single reason why a driver would turn off a safety device whether Its the Vigilence pedal , AWS / TPWS or Drivers reminder alarm as there would be no benefit what so ever to doing this. Its a fairly common practice for Employers to find a fault with a Union reps work In order to get rid of them. It happened at my former workplace and a Active Health and Safety rep who did his best for our conditions almost lost his job , pension and livelihood.
Well done RMT members for sticking together In order to save a couple of colleagues jobs.

If the charges are BS then won’t the employment tribunal throw them out ?

Crow is a massive arsehole.

An effective, infuriating, pig-headed arsehole.

You probably couldn’t find a better union rep. I love ‘im!!

You probably couldn’t find a better union rep. I love ‘im!!

I love him because he infuriates right-wing Selfservatives like Flashy who don’t really give a toss about worker’s rights anyway really.

And Selfservatives like Flashy woon’t know anything about sticking up for others. Solidarity is a dirty word to the ‘I’m alright Jack’ brigade.

but surely if you’re incompetent you deserve to get stiffed by management?

Worse still, what if you are competent and still get stiffed by the management? Millions of workers in UK PLC know how this feels.

stanfree – Member
Im a train driver , not a tube driver but the basics are the same. I cant think of a single reason why a driver would turn off a safety device whether Its the Vigilence pedal , AWS / TPWS or Drivers reminder alarm as there would be no benefit what so ever to doing this. Its a fairly common practice for Employers to find a fault with a Union reps work In order to get rid of them. It happened at my former workplace and a Active Health and Safety rep who did his best for our conditions almost lost his job , pension and livelihood.
Well done RMT members for sticking together In order to save a couple of colleagues jobs.

Posted 37 minutes ago # Report-Post

According to the rule book of the railways, if AWS is not working the train must be stopped at the next station and taken out of use, remember what happened to the HST at southall, with a driver who had it switched off and couldnt even watch his signals and hit another train, killing a few passengers.

Bob Crow is the best RMT leader in years, more power to his elbow and the more people he upsets the better, +1 for telling it like it really is and sticking up for the members, we need more of that.
Thats speaking as a former RMT member.

Yup Project unless accompanied by a competent person , I know the rules thus why I said It dosent make sense. The only thing I can think of Is he has a had a TPWS activation (Overspeed) and instead of reporting It he has just cancelled the activation and driven on. Believe me train drivers would not purposely drive on unaccompanied with isolated or defective AWS as In the most will do anything for a cancelled service .

+1 for telling it like it really is and sticking up for the members

but at what cost?
are the strikes a proportional reaction to any wrongs that have occurred? I don’t use the tubes regularly, I generally cycle or get the bus, but it really p****s me off because strikes mean the roads are awash with more traffic and more lunatic pedestrians stepping out into the road

When I worked in a London bike shop we had various posters tucked away for use whenever there was a Tube strike in the offing – “Beat the strike, buy a bike”, that kind of thing. Business usually went up by about 25%.

🙂

but surely if you’re incompetent you deserve to get stiffed by management?
or do we live in a world of responsibility without accountability?

I’m not saying that, but every incident I’ve seen and had the misfortune to be involved in the attitude in our “blame free” culture is to find a suitable minion to take the fall so that cause and fault can be apportioned and corrected. Sometimes it is someones fault for being lazy or incompetant BUT just as often it’s a failure of the system and then pressure from on high to get the job done to prevent BACKLOG.

Accountability starts at the top; Captain of the Ship and all that, something our Captain’s of Industry quickly forget when they run to the Corporate lawyers when the “get the job done or else” attitude cause injury, death or heaven forbid – POSSESSION OVERRUN!

Yes, I am a bit bias but the sucking-on-lemons-faces I see when pulling a job due to bad/poor safety paperwork, cutting work back because I don’t want to risk compromising the morning service or moaning about poor quality project work, go some way to justifying my attitude.

I’m glad I don’t live in London anymore – tube strikes have an impact which is totally disproportionate to their starting points IMO.

Whatever the politics, truths, rights and wrongs of this specific situation, I’m not sure why a dispute between 2 employees and their employer means 12 million people end up being inconvenienced and costs London and therefore the country millions in lost business and makes London less attractive for international businesses to come to.
If we make the city’s transport unreliable, international visitors will just go elsewhere. We shouldn’t underestimate the impact to UK economy of this.

However, the growth in cycling and technological advances making remote working easier are developments which will reduce the impact of tube strikes which is a Good Thing IMO.

2 million people end up being inconvenienced

The strikes will not inconvenience 12 million people. Nowhere near that number. Don’t be so dramatic.

And what about the extra revenue through congestion charging, as more people will drive in, taxis, private cabs, etc?