HR professionals are backing calls
from the Conservative Party to prevent Tube staff striking.
John Renz, HR director
at City law firm CMS Cameron McKenna, said London Underground staff should not take
industrial action because so many of the capital’s workforce would be unable to
travel to work or would arrive late.
He said, "The
cost of strikes is borne by private sector companies. This is a massive private
sector subsidy for the incompetence of public sector management."
The Conservatives last
week unveiled plans to introduce a no-strike agreement for Tube staff.
Francesca Okosi, HR
director of the London Borough of Brent, agreed that moves to prevent the
strike should be considered. She complained that travel gridlock prevents key
public sector staff, such as doctors and nurses, travelling to work.
The comments follow an
Industrial Society survey last week that reveals nine out of 10 businesses have
suffered because of problems with the Tube.
Further travel chaos
is set for 2 and 3 May when members of the RMT union strike ahead of a judicial
review on 12 June on the government’s part-privatisation plans for funding the
Tube.
According to the
survey, 90 per cent of managers said Tube delays had a very negative impact on
their workplace.
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Of those questioned,
83 per cent said staff were arriving late for work more often and 44 per cent
said there was less time to complete vital tasks.
The survey of 200
managers revealed they had been forced to respond in different ways, with 70
per cent receiving requests from staff to work at home and 60 per cent asked
for flexible hours.
