27 October 2016
RMT Press Office:
RMT to ballot Piccadilly Line drivers for strike action over a wholesale breakdown in industrial relations.
TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it will be balloting over 400 drivers on the Piccadilly Line for strike action in a dispute over breaching agreements, procedures and policies which amounts to a wholesale breakdown in industrial relations between the union and London Underground.
The ballot will open on the 1st November and conclude on the 15th November.
The Piccadilly Line is the fourth busiest on the London Underground network and serves the terminals at Heathrow Airport.
The dispute is over a combination of issues including:
• Failure to properly administer LUL’s SPAD policy with continued threats to our members’ role as drivers
• Failure to respond to members concerns regarding the quality of training with management refusing machinery meetings and reneging on previous commitments
• Failure to respond to concerns regarding stock issues and not working with RMT Safety Reps in any meaningful way towards a resolution
• The assertion from the Director of Employee Relations stating that staff other than the driver have the final say on the serviceability and safety of a train, going against agreed instructions
• Continued breaches and misuse of a number of LUL policies to the detriment of members, including but not exclusive to the Attendance at Work Policy and the Harassment and Bullying Policy.
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary said:
“Industrial relations on the Piccadilly Line have been corroded through repeated failures to follow agreements, policies and procedures. It is those failures that have led to the wholesale breakdown in industrial relations which has triggered this ballot for action.
“RMT members on London Underground will not stand by while agreed policies that were put in place to maintain tube safety are systematically ignored and undermined
“The union remains available for talks.”
ends
Unity House
Tel: 020 7387 4771
Email: