catpblog

PASSENGERS SUPPORT OUR TUBE CLEANERS

2008-06-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

CAMPAIGN AGAINST TUBE PRIVATISATION
http://catpblog.blogspot.com/

More than 700 RMT Tube Cleaners who work for 4 private contractors voted for strike action to win the London living wage and decent living conditions. They voted for a series of strikes with a landslide of over 99%.

As the RMT general secretary says, "In 21st century London, a living wage is reckoned to be at least £7.50 an hour. We have members who are being paid at rock-bottom minimum wage rates little more than £5.50 an hour, and the abuse has to stop." The people who clean one of the world's most prestigious metro systems have the right to be paid a wage on which they can afford to live in London.

The previous mayor promised the cleaners on Metronet contracts they would receive the London living wage as soon as they passed into Transport for London control. Metronet is now under Transport for London control, but the Cleaners remain on the same low pay and degrading conditions. If Boris Johnson wants to be seen as mayor for all Londoners, he surely should honour that pledge.

The private contractors also continue to impose horrifyingly poor conditions; including the barbaric practice of "third party sackings" whereby cleaners can be dismissed with no disciplinary hearing or right of appeal, at the behest of parties other than the employer - a device used to get rid of trade union activists. This is why RMT cleaners want a change to 28 days' holiday, sick pay, decent pension scheme and travel facilites.( All other workers on the Tube get free travel as a right, but not the worst-paid!)

With £1million-a-week profit, the share-holders of Tubelines (the other major privateering company now Metronet's been brought under Transport for London) are unlikely to feel a noticeable dent in their pockets if our Tube Cleaners get a living wage and basic conditions. CATP believes these issues are a Health & Safety question for passengers ( remember the Kings Cross fire). If you find a carriage or platform has a build-up of slippery or combustible materials, you are perfectly entitled to complain immediately to the station supervisor. We support the Tube Cleaners action and want cleaning brought back into the Public Sector.

If you want to help the
Campaign Against Tube Privatisation, phone Dave Welsh 0207- 837- 0845 to find out about more action and send your views to Boris Johnson at City Hall, Queen's Walk, SE1 2AA

Leaflet with CATP

Friday: 27th June, 8.00-9.30p.m Finsbury Park Tube( Wells Terrace entrance)
Monday: June 30th, 4.30-6.00p.m. Archway Tube
Tuesday: July 1, 8.00-9.30a.m Stratford Tube
Wednesday: July 2, 4.30-6.00p.m King's Cross (new Euston Rd entrance)

E.London line demo 13/12/2007

2007-12-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

Photos from East London Line demo December13 2007

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2007-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

DO LOCAL CAMPAIGNS MEAN 'Divide & Rule' ?

2007-08-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

JAN POLLOCK WRITES:

Brilliant that other passengers feel moved to get campaigning! The only thing that concerns me is the strict emphasis on the local ticket offices round Totteridge and Whetstone; as we all know Transport for London are quite happy to use "divide and rule" as a tactic to insist they might save that area's ticket offices, but only at the cost of all (or most of) the rest.

As a disabled woman - and a rather nervous one at the moment - the idea of leaving stations without any visible staff at "quieter times" of the day is clearly a glorious invitation to muggers to "come on down!"

I found out today that the RMT have called a lobby of their members at the Dept. of Transport for Tuesday 4th September 11.30-13.00 at Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR (near to Westminster or St James' Park Tube because of Metronet. The slogans are Scrap the PPP & Restore Maintenance In-house (ie. to the Public Sector). As CATP supports both of these key demands, we'll get the CATP banner down there.I hope others will join us so do tell all-like-minded people. Bring banners.

SAVE TUBE TICKET OFFICES: Draft Letter

2007-08-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

Draft letter to TfL for you to send your own protest

For the attention of:
Customer Service Centre
London Underground
55 Broadway
London SW1H 0BD
(tel: 0845 330 9880)

Dear sir or madam,

I am unhappy about the proposal by Transport for London to completely close the ticket offices at Totteridge and Whetstone, West Finchley and Mill Hill East stations on the Northern Line as part of the scrapping of 40 ticket offices across London.As a user (add word such as 'daily', 'regular' or frequent' if appropriate) of Totteridge & Whetstone/West Finchley/Mill Hill East (delete as appropriate) underground station, I request:

1/ That the ticket offices continue to operate for at least their present opening hours each week.

2/ Station staff have the authority to open the ticket office on demand outside those hours to sell tickets or issue new or replacement Oyster cards.

I feel that any savings from the closure of these ticket offices will be outweighed by a large fall in revenues from those stations. In addition, difficulties in buying a ticket are likely to cause many people to switch to alternative travel methods, while a heightened feeling of insecurity when no staff are around may put people off travelling by Underground.Revenues will fall at the three local stations because some people will be deterred from using the Northern Line and others will take advantage of the lack of supervision to travel without paying.

Around 40 pct of underground travellers still use paper tickets, according to TfL's own figures, and many of these are tourists and other infrequent travellers who are quite likely to need assistance.TfL's claim that ticket offices are not needed at the three stations because most people use Oyster cards does not hold water, since the offices are not just used by people buying traditional paper tickets. Even Oyster users will need the ticket office from time to time, when they are having problems with the machine or if they have lost their card and need a replacement.

If, as TfL insists, staff will be redeployed elsewhere on the three stations, there is no reason why duty employees should not open up the ticket office as and when requested by travellers. Instead, even before the official closure date, staff are barred from selling tickets through the window outside the already-restricted opening hours.

The ticket office is the obvious place for anyone to go to if they want help with buying a ticket or need assistance reaching the platforms because of infirmity or disability. Similarly, if someone sees something suspicious, feels threatened or is actually being threatened or attacked, he or she will receive help much more quickly if there is someone visible at the station to appeal to, rather than use the communications devices which are being installed on local stations.

Yours faithfully(add your name and address)