Piccadilly Line Tube staff balloted for strike action

Tube staff working on the Piccadilly Line are to be balloted for strike action after the RMT union accused managers of “riding roughshod over agreements and abusing a range of agreed policies and procedures.”

The union is also opposing plans to relocate some drivers from the Acton Town Depot and claims mangers are “refusing perfectly reasonable requests for decent staff facilities.”

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said his members “are furious at this unilateral attack by the company on working conditions, agreements and procedures and we are moving forwards with plans for a ballot for strike action.”

Phil O’Hare, Piccadilly line manager for London Underground, said a strike ballot was “completely unnecessary.”
 
Mr O’Hare added: “The union has raised a number of unrelated local issues with us around the application of current LU attendance and disciplinary procedures, all of which we addressed and explained through several meetings with union representatives three months ago.

“In addition, discussions are ongoing through the processes agreed with all unions about the nature of working facilities at the Northfields depot due to open shortly. All of the union’s issues have either been addressed, or are being, and I would urge them to continue to discuss any matters which they feel have not been dealt with, in the normal way.”

News of the ballot came on the same day Conservative members of the London Assembly called for the right to strike to be withdrawn in favour of binding mediation.