Transport for London workers on the District Line have voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in protest at the growing levels of violence and anti-social behaviour at work.
RMT union members working at the eastern end of the District Line voted by nearly 95% to take action short of a strike after a female staff member was attacked in her office by a violent passenger.
The RMT said that from 00:01 hours on 27 September 2019 until further notice its members would only “work from a within a place of safety when lone-working and not to ‘detrain’ alone or attend incidents on trains alone”.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said staff were living in a constant state of fear and had simply had enough of the “inaction” of local managers.
“There has been an explosion of violent crime and sexual offences across the network and our members are bearing the brunt of it particularly on the District Line,” he explained. “It is clear that violent crime is spiralling out of control as staffing levels are hacked back to the bare bones in the drive for profit-driven cuts.
“RMT has warned repeatedly that the all-out drive towards an automated and faceless Tube would turn our trains and stations into a criminals’ paradise and those who have ignored those warnings should act now before more serious injuries or worse occurs on the Tube.”
A TfL spokesman said: “Our staff work hard to assist our customers and keep London moving. They deserve to go about their day without fear or intimidation, in safety.
“We have met with the RMT to reiterate our commitment to ensuring the safety of our staff and outline the steps we have taken to address their feedback. We will continue to engage with them to ensure all staff feel safe and secure while performing their duties.”
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