A slow day in London Town

“Worst Tube strikes yet say commuters as walkouts cripple London” was the headline in today’s London Evening Standard. Commuters struggling to get to work were today caught in a war of words over the third 24-hour Tube strike in as many months. All 11 lines suffered major disruption, 80 stations were closed and 100 stations were picketed in a row with the RMT and TSSA unions over job cuts and ticket office closures. Union bosses and angry passengers claimed the service was “far worse” than during the two previous strikes. At Marylebone Station this morning the lack of alternatives to The Tube were evident. The “Marshall” at the taxi rank had added to the confusion by reversing the direction of flow of the queue but this didn’t really matter. As with the last strikes there were hardly any taxis at the ranks as the “City Boys” block book them as these titans of Casino Banking are more important to London than people who do real stuff. No sign of the extra buses either, rather the opposite as road works made the traffic in the area impossible. A 205 bus to Bow in East London turned up from Paddington already full and no sign of the No. 2 bus to Victoria.



Commuters struggling home this evening were warned to expect another Tube strike on November 29 and then a series of stoppages after Christmas. Union bosses said walkouts in January could be announced after a “truce” next month. Tens of thousands of passengers suffered today as the third 24-hour strike in as many months caused disruption across the network. All 11 lines suffered major problems or were suspended, 80 stations were closed and 100 stations were picketed in a row with the RMT and TSSA unions over job cuts and ticket office closures.

The Standard quoted commuters urging Boris Johnson to tell Tube workers “enough is enough”. A commuter from Richmond was quoted as saying said: “The strikes are obviously getting worse. I have to get a taxi instead.” A spokesman for the RMT said there was “no question” disruption was worse than the last strikes with leader Bob Crow saying: “Today's action is rock solid the length and breadth of the system.”


Covent Garden Tube Station

London Underground insisted it had more trains running and more stations open than before. Managing director Mike Brown said: “Despite the deluded claims by the RMT and TSSA leaderships the Tube service this morning is moving hundreds of thousands of people across London. Over 40% of our services are running, with all but one line being served and that is the Circle line, where almost every station is served by other lines. 75% of stations are being served, and we are keeping London moving.” LU said 50 trains were operating on the Northern compared with 29 last time. But a third of the line's 33 stations were closed because there were no staff to operate them, meaning that even though trains were running, commuters could not get onto the platforms to catch them.

Among the Tube stations closed during today were Charing Cross, Westminster, Piccadilly Circus and Knightsbridge as well as Heathrow Terminal 4. The Mayor came under renewed fire for not personally meeting the RMT and TSSA unions. A fourth walk-out is planned for November 29 and with no resolution to the dispute in sight passengers were warned of more strikes in the run-up to Christmas. London Underground said at the height of the morning peak period it was operating 44 per cent of services compared with 28 per cent last time.



Lines were either suspended over part of the route or ran with massive delays and cancellations. The Circle line will be suspended throughout the day and there was no service on the Waterloo and City lines for an essential part of the morning peak. Roger, travelling through Victoria, said: “It was terrible down there. It's the queuing to get into the station that's really bad. Some of the lines are totally crippled. People just have to get on with it as best they can.”



Gary, an IT trainer from Kent, said: “I can see these strikes going on for some time because their positions are fairly entrenched and it is difficult to see how a speedy resolution will be arrived at.” Mr Crow insisted that the strike was over “safe Tube staffing levels as our members send out the clearest possible message to the Mayor to call a halt to cuts before there's a major disaster”.



The conciliation service ACAS announced that fresh talks will be held tomorrow. The unions are protesting at plans to axe 800 mainly ticket office jobs, although they claim the number is set to rise to almost 2,000. TfL deny that safety is being compromised and insist there will be no enforced redundancies. While commuters in London had well practised strike routines, tourists to the city found their plans thrown into disarray.



Stefan from Berlin said: “It's a nightmare for people visiting London.” However the cutbacks in Underground are regarded as the thin end of a pointed political wedge to cutback the Underground which includes further redundancy, centralisation of HR, Finance and IT within the TfL organisation and selling off 55, Broadway, London Underground’s iconic and fully paid for Head Office (Estates Gazette February 14th 2009).

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/give-my-regards-to-55-broadway.html

Whereas London Underground is being told to cut its cloth according to a recent BBC article on pay and bonuses TfL is very much committed to Rolls-Royce solutions with some employees on large salaries getting half as much again as bonuses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11369278

Having explicitly committed to no ticket office closures in his Mayoral election manifesto Mayor Boris Johnson is now hoisted on his own petard, so being Boris you then make noise about something nay anything and wave your arms frantically! So now Boris is on the news banging on about banning strikes where less than 50% of union members vote. This could also be an awkward argument for BoJo as such a "turnout threshold" would have prevented his own election on the back of just 19% of London voters.



And the only reason he is talking about one now is to cover for his total inaction in getting the promised "no strike deal" with the unions. So as you mull that one over on your journey home tonight here's a few other statistics from the “Tory Troll” Blog to think about:

Boris Johnson's meetings since 2008:

Rupert Murdoch: 1
Rebekah Wade, The Sun: 2
Lord Rothermere, Daily Mail: 1
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan: 1
Lily Allen: 1
Kelly Brook: 2
Tube Union leaders: 0


What Boris promised when running for election?


Boris discussing important matters with Lily Rose Beatrice Allen, a popular chanteuse. Who says Global warming is not real?

Tube Strike; The Reviews

Bob Crow of the RMT

Well the two day RMT Strike which brought misery and inconvenience to millions of Londoners and visitors to the capital is over and the “reviews” are in. Inconvenience it certainly brought to those who work in the capital but it brought misery to the elderly, the disabled and those who were travelling for hospital and medical appointments. And it brought hardship to temporary workers who lost money by being unable to work unlike the secure well remunerated jobs with final salary pensions of those who caused the disruption.

The RMT Tube Strike caused major disruption in London Town in the morning rush hour on the first day and the public view was the Capital being held to ransom by small group who are England’s equivalent of the Teamsters! The alternative travel arrangements in London were pants! - Bus lanes were blocked with deliveries; there were road works all over the place and empty tourist buses just parked with no customers blocking the red buses full to the gunwales. Londoner's need joined up Government and planning - not what we have seen during the strike - All soundbite and waffle with no reality on the ground. Worst of all was the World Cup qualifier at Wembley where Wembley Stadium Station was closed from midday to “avoid” overcrowding despite three train companies being scheduled to run trains to the station for the match.



On the Wednesday morning Chiltern railways lost the Aylesbury Line through Amersham because the LU signal box at Amersham wasn’t manned and despite assurances the same thing happened next morning when Harrow on the Hill signals were not manned. Getting to Marylebone from Princes Risborough on the first morning of the strike the Underground station was firmly closed. I made the mistake of getting the No. 453 bendy bus but congestion was woeful in London with road works and deliveries on Red Routes (legal up to 11 am and not suspended during the strikes) and the Bendy being torturous in heavy traffic. I abandoned the bus and walked the rest of the way across London in heavy rain.

But what a difference a day makes. This morning (Thursday) Marylebone Underground was open and trains were running freely on the Bakerloo, Jubilee and most Tube Lines. Clearly the strike had lost support, more were coming to work and the situation improved as the day went on. What also was striking were the Tube staff talking to and helping passengers who clearly appreciated those who kept the service running.


Tube trains stuck in the depot

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said he "deplored" the Tube strike, as services slowly returned to normal following the 48-hour walkout. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) action ended at 1859 BST but Transport for London (TfL) said a full service would not resume until Friday morning.

Liberal Democrat Lord Bradshaw called the behaviour of RMT leader Bob Crow and strikers "utterly reprehensible". The walkout followed a breakdown in pay talks with London Underground (LU). Further talks between the LU and RMT - which wants a 5% pay rise and a promise of no compulsory redundancies - will be held next week to try to end the dispute.



During a Lords debate on public transport, Lord Adonis said: "I deplore the underground strike in London today and urge the RMT to engage constructively with Transport for London to ensure that there is no repetition." Lord Bradshaw said: "The behaviour of Mr Crow and the RMT is utterly reprehensible. There are mechanisms for dealing with disputes. People working on the Underground are well paid and they have long holidays. The strikers' behaviour has been pretty disgraceful."

He added: "Londoners are being held to ransom and many people who are in fear of losing their jobs are making extraordinary efforts to get to work because they think that if they are missed for a couple of days they can be missed for a good deal longer."



On Thursday Mr Crow accused London mayor Boris Johnson of "playing politics" with the Tube by deliberately intervening to scupper a last-minute deal. Mr Johnson said the allegation was "completely untrue". Union boss Bob Crow today gloated over the "success" of the Tube strike as he threatened more walkouts. The RMT leader said his members could launch fresh industrial action as early as two weeks' time - despite signs of the strike crumbling. Many picket lines were deserted today and London Underground managed to run trains on nine out of 11 lines.

But millions of commuters were caught up in gridlock as central London took the brunt of the disruption. Mr Crow turned up for a picket line at Queen's Park on the Bakerloo line, which was running a limited service. He boasted about the industrial action. "I'm really pleased. It was a solid success," he said. "The whole city ground to a halt and the disruption it caused was all over the papers."



Mayor Boris Johnson said the number of trains running showed the lack of support for the strike. He paid tribute to staff who had crossed picket lines to go to work as well as to the number of Londoners who had used crowded buses and trains to keep London operating. He said it showed the weakness in the RMT's case and criticised Mr Crow for "moving the goal posts". Mr Johnson said: "I do apologise for the trouble that has taken place and I think it is very sad, but I urge the RMT to come to their senses and to do the right thing and call off the strike.”

"The people in London have shown fantastic resolve by going to work in such fantastic numbers. This is a testament to the weakness and fragility of the strike. The RMT have greatly undermined themselves by this action."

The hefty six-footer Bob Crow has a reputation for picking his battles well and the RMT is one of the few unions with a growing membership. According to the latest TUC figures it has 75,906 members. But after the half-cock response to the latest 48-hour Tube walkout serious questions are being asked about his judgment.


The alternative travel arrangements

Aslef, the rival Tube union, said today: "It seems Bob Crow is now doing his best to annoy fellow trade unions." Officially Aslef describes the strike as "premature" but the private language is more colourful. A hint of RMT rebellion emerged in the voting figures. Of 10,000 eligible to vote, just 2,810 supported the strike call with 488 against. The rest took the easy way out and didn't bother -although they will, of course, accept any increased pay and working conditions improvements won by the union. Just before the strike started Mr Crow said: "We know that it will receive solid support from RMT members across the Tube network." No, it hasn't. It was a rare misjudgement by Mr Crow.



The last two Victoria line strikes, in support of sacked train driver Carl Campbell, have closed the line completely. It's a different picture now: Mr Crow quietly slipped in a third strike on the Victoria line today to run in conjunction with the main dispute. This strike was only announced to LU, as the union is legally required to do, and not to passengers. The Victoria line is an RMT stronghold but today trains ran along a major part of the route - Victoria to Seven Sisters - where Mr Crow was on early morning picket line duty.

Past network-wide strikes have seen a total shutdown. Compare that with today: during this morning's peak 120 trains ran out of a possible 522; by lunchtime the figure had increased to 140 out of a usual 420. London Underground stated: "We have had lots of drivers turning up." Did that include RMT members? "It must do by the number of people who have reported for duty," said LU. This encouraged even more staff to return to work today, the second half of the stoppage. Union observers ask whether Mr Crow has been bounced into a self-defeating dispute by his even more far-Left fellow officials. There seems to be no immediate threat to his leadership in the absence of a credible alternative. But his reputation as a union general that chooses his battle grounds wisely and normally delivers a victory has been badly damaged.

Tube Strike

“A 48-hour strike by thousands of London Underground workers has begun after last-minute talks to try to resolve the row broke down.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out at 7pm - at the start of a stoppage which is expected to cause travel chaos across the capital. The union believes the entire network will come to a halt, causing huge problems for millions of commuters and visitors, and costing businesses tens of millions of pounds.”

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Tube-Strike-By-Thousands-Of-London-Underground-Workers-Begins-After-Last-Minute-Talks-Break-

The Tube strike in London is a political strike by the Jurassic Park RMT Union. I hope its members leave in droves as the strike is pointless and shames Trade Unionism.Of course the RMT is affiliated neither to the Labour Party or the TUC. Ordinary Londoner's are aghast at what's happening. RMT members and the travelling public deserve so much better. Don’t take my word for it – there is overwhelming condemnation of the action across the Media, Blogosphere and most tellingly, by ordinary members of the public. Here is a sample of the Vox Pop;


Sky News reports 9th June 2009, London;

London Underground Strike Is On

news.sky.com — In the middle of the deepest and most damaging recession most of us have ever seen, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union calls a strike. Is this the most out of touch and selfish union left in the UK?

Typical Bob Crowe... the mans a ****. Sack the whole damn lot of them I am sure there are many eastern europeans who would be glad to do their job at half the wages they are getting and for longer hours. A pay rise in the middle of a recession ???? Kinda says it all about Bob Crowe and his cronies.

Posted By: Michelle - I have just taken a 10% pay CUT and my husband a 20% CUT to try and help our respective companies survive this recession, it's not pleasant, we don't want to do it but, however much we would wish for one - a pay RISE in these times is just not going to happen, I just hope we are still in our jobs in a years time. Mind you, we are not in jobs that can hold anyone to ransom like the transport workers.

Posted By: Lorna - I am heading into London today. This strike is all because there are currently school holidays and these guys want a cheap "couple of days off work". It disgusting. I am sure that Londoners and others in the capital alike will find ways to work around this. But it is not needed and very selfish. Fire the lot of them and give these overpaid jobs to people who wants to work. I feel for those who have to get into the capital tomorrow to earn a decent days living and to the sport fans who would like to support England and get to and from the game safely.

Posted By: Gary Thomas - I say just sack them and get new people to replace them, how can they expect a pay rise in the middle of a recession ??, pay cut more like !. They should try living like the rest of us, trying to make ends meet, trying to get to work (no hope of that for the next 48hrs) and trying to cope with a 30% pay decrease. The public will have no sympathy what so ever with this strike, as someone else said, if anyone else decided that they wanted a pay rise and when they didn’t get it they stamped their feet and went on strike they would just be sacked, do the same to the tube drivers and teach them not to be so greedy.

Posted By: Claire - They get paid far too much to drive tubes. Sack them all and install workers who would be happy to have a job in the first place. It's a joke. We will all get by over the 48 hours, but Crow can crow all he like's and will always be unpopular and hated, by Londoners.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/London-Underground-Tube-Strike-To-Go-Ahead-As-Talks-Break-Down/Article/200906215298874?f=rss


RMT Says ‘Bring Back Elvis and We’ll Cancel Strike’

Written by: silver

In a last-ditch attempt to ensure the total f#@#@ing up of London’s tube system, the RMT have demanded Elvis in return for cancelling planned strikes.

LUL managers started to suspect the union wanted to strike last week when the RMT sniffily announced to the press that they were perfectly willing to talk but were being ignored by the filthy capitalist pigs.

‘We’ve tried everything from memos in comic sans to demanding reinstatement of all sacked members ever, but the bastards have caved in to our every whim,’ said Bob Crow yesterday from his mansion paid for by the sweat of the workers. ‘Elvis was the only thing left to ask for.’

LUL are currently in emergency talks with London Mayor Boris Johnson and representatives from London’s black cab community, many of whom say they had the King of Rock and Roll in the back of their taxi only last Friday.

Tube travellers have been quick to condemn Crow; ‘He’s a twat,’ said one commuter at Bank station. Others questioned why he was demanding jobs for life and above average pay rises during a recession and why the RMT were always such tossers.

‘I hate Bob Crow, he’s a twat,’ said another tube user later identified as Mrs Crow.

http://www.chew-the-fat.com/satire/rmt-says-bring-back-elvis-and-well-cancel-strike002493




UrbanTick

A major strike on the Tube in London is announced for today. From Today Tuesday 19h00to Thursday 19h00 there will be no Tube services in London if the strike goes ahead as announced. This will mean that thousands of commuters and travellers will be forced to search for alternatives.

We already had this once this year. The heavy (12cm : ) snowfall from February 2nd brought a major disruption to London’s transport network and an extra day of for thousands of Londoners. This event was covered in posts here and here.

And again this disruption will change the rush hour for two days. Maybe everyone will be using the riverboat service, as the Major Boris Johnson has arranged for all of us to travel for free.

We’ll see how London and Londoners will manage the situation. In terms of routines it will definitely be different.

Transport for London promotes cycling and walking; this is the cheapest option for them. Walking maps are available from the tfl.gov.uk site. The maps are not very good and hardly any better as a normal tourist guide. Maybe another project would actually be a bit more successful here. The shortwalk project is aiming at promoting the information about distances between inner London tube stations. While doing some research the people behind the project discovered that sometimes it is actually quicker to walk than squeezing into the tube. A nice map visualizes this.

Other option is to plan your journey as a walk on walkit.com or even Google Maps could help you find the shortest route...

A micro blogger community has formed and collects a variety of suggestions and options to beat the strike. A good collection of them is available on TimesOnline. Unlike with the snowfall in February, people seem to be determined to get in to work tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes and whether or not Londoner can make it again a positive disruption of their weekly rhythms.

http://urbantick.blogspot.com/2009/06/disruption-second-take.html


Beat the Tube strike with Walkit.com!

Are you a walkit.com user in London? Or you’re planning to travel to the capital next week?

Are you prepared for the scheduled tube strike?

The RMT Union has announced strike action to commence at 18.59 hours on Tuesday 9 June through to 18.58 hours on Thursday 11 June 2009. (This Guardian page will keep you up to date with any developments.)



Should the tube strike go ahead it is expected to suspend most underground services as well as increase the use of other forms of public transport in the capital.

Although there is still the possibility that the strike will not go ahead why not use walkit.com to prepare an alternative route for any journeys that are affected by the action. Even if the strike is cancelled you can always enjoy your journey on foot avoiding the hot and crowded journey by tube.



Whether you need to get from a mainline station to the office or to an all important meeting, or you’re in London for the day to see the sights use walkit.com to plan your journey on foot.

Don’t forget to let friends, family and colleagues know too!

http://www.walkit.com/blog/2009/06/05/beat-the-tube-strike-with-walkitcom/


We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to outlaw train and underground strikes.

Trains and London Underground are strategic services. Ensuring that they run is essential. Greedy unions should be banned from holding people to ransom by calling for strikes to achieve their selfish objectives of above inflation pay rise while causing misery to innocent people especially in this recession.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/No-Tube-Strikes/


Get to Work strategies during the strike.

As Tube workers walk out for a 48-hour strike, Londoners will have to find other ways to make the 3.5 million journeys for which we normally rely on the Underground every day. While it may be tempting to take the day off work, here are some ways you may not have considered to get around.

:: BY BOAT: Believe it or not, London's riverboat services can carry 8,000 people every hour. Plus you get a unique view of the city that you just don't get from a bus, below the ground on a Tube train. Plus, during the strike, Transport for London is laying on a free shuttle-boat service between Tower Bridge and London Bridge.

:: SHARE A TAXI: Black cabs might not be as cost effective as the Underground - but they work out much cheaper if you're splitting the fare. To help you find people who are going your way, taxi drivers have arranged for special marshals to be posted outside Waterloo, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, Euston, Paddington, Marylebone and London Bridge stations.

:: LIFTSHARE: You're probably not the only person trying to get to the office in the same part of town. There are a number of websites to help you find people driving that way - you just have to chip in for petrol.

Try: www.carshare.com or london.liftshare.com. TfL won't be letting you off the Congestion Charge, but will be suspending roadwork’s in many areas.

:: CYCLE: If you're feeling energetic, why not ride your bike in. Temporary bike-parking's being made available in town - locations include Trafalgar Square, the Mall and Waterloo.

Also, check out www.biketube.org.uk for details of morning commuter-led rides.



:: BUSES AND TRAINS: TfL says there will be 100 extra buses on the roads during the strike to help you get around. Oyster Card pay as you go will be accepted on all National Rail services in Greater London. DLR and London Overground services aren't affected by the strike.

:: HEADING TO WEMBLEY?: England play Andorra in a World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday - so here's the advice on getting there: Get there early. Gates are opening at 5.45pm, so don't leave it until the last minute.

Local buses and National Express coaches are going to the stadium, and there are trains to Wembley Central and Wembley Stadium stations. If you can't make it, the FA will give you your money back.

For all the latest information and advice, check the TfL website at;

www.tfl.gov.uk