Please support the tube strikes

Thousands of London Underground workers are taking part in a 48-hour strike over proposed cuts which include closing every Tube ticket office in London. Members of the RMT and TSSA unions walked out on Tuesday and will stay out until 9pm on Thursday 6th February in the first of two 48-hour stoppages. Under the proposals being put forward by London mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) hundreds of station staff jobs would be lost and supervisors would be moved from stations. TfL claims the plans are needed to save £50 million a year. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimate each strike could cost the London economy £50 million a day. Workers have already been taking action with an overtime ban in place since last month which has led to some station closures. From Friday union members are set to start a 'revenue strike' which should allow free travel between certain times on certain days. The second 48-hour stoppage is due to take place from 9pm on Tuesday 11th Feburary to the same time on Thursday 13th February. Picket lines Workers are asking members of the public to support their picket lines and are expecting supporters from groups fighting austerity, such as Disabled People Against the Cuts and Occupy, to attend. Please visit this website below http://www.rmtlondoncalling.org.uk/node/4830 To find out where picket lines will be and to pop down and lend your support. During the next few days where we will see some rough stormy weather why not warm a tube worker up by popping along to the picket lines and offering solidarity. This is sure to be a long drawn out bitter dispute with Boris Johnson looking to try and smash the unions. Don’t let him these are attacks against our class we must stand up and show solidarity with our brothers and sisters who work on the tube day in day out and provide the safety in their assistance they give us. As a disabled person I am hugely appreciative of the kind support and assistance I can access when travelling the tube and this allows me to access the capital and travel independently. Do not allow Boris his moment in the sun. Solidarity and victory to all tube workers.

Support sacked tube driver solidarity with victimised union reps

SO today sees the start of a 4 day strike by London Underground RMT tube drivers.

The four strikes are set to kick off on June 19, 27 and 29 and July 1 in response to the unfair sacking of Northern line tube driver Arwyn Thomas . Last month London Underground reappointed Arwyns fellow tube driver on teh Bakerloo line Eamonn Lynch but failed to re employ Arwyn. So as a result of union activity London Underground sacked Arwyn
and have not re appointed him at all.

aviour allegations

The strikes are due to take place between Sunday, the day before the Wimbledon tennis championships, and 1 July.

The union and LU began the meeting at the conciliation service Acas at about 1030 BST on Wednesday.


The judge suggested Arwyn Thomas was sacked for his union activities The tribunal has heard the case of the Northern Line driver Mr Thomas, who was dismissed for alleged abusive behaviour, and will deliver its full judgment later this month. Mr Thomas has been an union activist for 30 years.

BBC London has obtained documents of an interim relief hearing which was held to decide whether Mr Thomas should be on full pay since his dismissal in December 2010.

In it the judge gives an indication what the full judgement could be and reinstated the driver's full pay.

The allegations against Mr Thomas relate to two incidents in Morden and Kennington during a previous strike on 4 October - in one he denies swearing at a manager and in the second he admits calling a manager a "scab" and a strike breaker.


We as part of the NSSn were lucky to hear Arwyn and his fellow tube worker who was also involved in the dispute but has now been reemployed on same pay Eamon Lynch. At the NSSN conference last weekend both activists spoke admirably and told their story as they saw it. They made the case very clear that London Underground had been caught out badly here and should be in trouble themselves for going after Union activists like this in a unfair dismissal.

We on this blog send solidarity to the striking tube drivers and those joining them on the picket lines today and in the days to come. This dispute could be resolved very quickly if London Underground simply offer Arwyn his job back on same rate of pay. Being a union official and activist is not a crime or deserving of victimisation . It is time the boss's started realising this. If the law isnt on our side as working class trade unionists then we will have to use our last resort of collective united action to take on the boss's and win Arwyns job back.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with all comrades from the RMT today and offer any support we can to the strike.