Wednesday 25 March 2015

RMT DAY OF ACTION FRIDAY AGAINST TUBE TICKET OFFICE CLOSURES

RMT DAY OF ACTION FRIDAY AGAINST TUBE TICKET OFFICE CLOSURES


On Friday 27th March at Tube stations across London, RMT members and activists will be protesting the closure of Tube ticket offices.

Transport for London has confirmed that it is pressing ahead with closing all London Underground ticket offices and is doing so without consulting passengers or adequately trialing the impact first. This is in order that closed ticket offices can be leased out to retail businesses, a short-sighted step that will exacerbate already dangerously high and rising peak passenger through-flow.

TfL's conduct in ignoring criticism including from workers representatives, the statutory passenger body London Travelwatch and, in the case of ex Silverlink stations, in defiance of legal obligations, is a scandal.

Given the ongoing reduction in staffing levels, and the impending introduction of night time opening of some Tube lines, remaining LUL workers are set to be asked to work anti-social hours frequently. Clearly, LUL's proposals - if enacted - would see the health and well-being of staff suffer as a result of having to often switch between day and night shifts.

On  Friday 27th March the RMT will be protesting TfL's plans. RMT with other concerned organisations, including Hands Off London Transport https://handsofflondontransport.wordpress.com/, will be holding demos and leafleting at stations across the capital.

Activities will be taking place at Bermondsey (7:30am - 10am), Brixton, Camden Town (8 - 10am), Elephant & Castle (4 - 6pm), Gants Hill (4 - 6pm), King's Cross (from 9am), Manor House (from 8am), Oval (8 - 10am), Shepherd's Bush - Central Line (4 - 6pm), Uxbridge (from 4pm) and Whitechapel (8 - 10am) stations.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

"The fight to stop the closure and smashing up of ticket offices, and the axing of station staff, goes on and Friday's series of demonstrations mark a ramping up of the RMT campaign to stop this cash-led carve up of jobs, services and safety.

"The recent shocking incidents at Clapham South and Baker Street , where a woman and child ended up under trains, shows the importance of a properly staffed railway where services and safety come first.

"The overcrowding at both tube and railway stations proves that transport bosses are trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot alongside a backdrop of cuts to staffing and basic passenger services. That toxic combination is a recipe for disaster and that is the message we will be taking to the public in Fridays series of London-wide events."


Darren Johnson AM
Green Party Member
London Assembly
City Hall
Queens Walk
London SE1 2AA
020 7983 4388
http://www.london.gov.uk/profile/darren-johnson

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