London
Underground is offering a £250 bonus to train drivers in an effort to combat
absenteeism.
The
attendance bonuses will be awarded to drivers who are not absent during a
three-month period which starts on 1 June.
Staff
attendance at stations was 92 per cent between 2000 and 2001 – the lowest
figure ever.
A
spokesperson for London Underground said, “There were 366 train cancellations
mostly due to absenteeism in the past year and that’s the reason why we’re
doing this – to have a more reliable train service.”
An
RMT union representative said, “This is clearly a bribe to try to persuade
drivers to undermine the strike action. It’s divisive to offer cash incentives
to one section of their staff. It also undermines safety as offering train
drivers cash incentives to attend may force them to work when unfit for duty.”
The
scheme starts on the eve of further tube strikes, which are planned for the 4
and 6 June. Staff are calling for a guarantee that there will not be any redundancies
when the PPP tube funding scheme comes into place.
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