London
Underground staff will strike next Thursday over safety fears of
part-privatisation of the tube network.
The
24-hour stoppage follows a ballot of trade union RMT’s 9,000 members announced
yesterday.
Almost
3,000 staff voted by more than eight to one in favour of strike action. Further
industrial action is expected to follow, although no dates have been confirmed.
“London
Underground is treating our members’ safety fears with contempt, and has left
us no alternative but to strike,” said RMT general secretary Bob Crow.
“We
made it clear to LU that failure to timetable full consultation with our safety
reps over the all-important ‘safety case’ for the PPP would be unacceptable to
London Underground workers and to this union.
“LU
responded by telling us that the talking was over and the safety case was ‘just
a bunch of paper’.
“That
is a disgraceful attitude from an employer responsible for the lives of
thousands of workers and millions of passengers.
“If
LU want to end this dispute it need only indicate it is willing to take our
safety concerns seriously and agree a timetable to consult our safety reps.”
The
tube will not be ground to a halt as only RMT members will be striking.
