ASLEF members on London Underground have voted by an overwhelming 89.1% in favour of strike action in our ballot over the security of driving cabs. The turnout easily exceeded the threshold required by the Trade Union Act, giving us the mandate to call strike action across the combine.
This result demonstrates our members determination to see this longstanding issue resolved. We can not continue to have incident after incident where drivers are attacked in their workplace. Insecure cabs don’t just put our members safety at risk. There is also the real potential for an incident that effects passenger safety.
Just hours before our ballot closed, we received a letter from the Director of Line Operations, where for the first time, London Underground committed to “implementing a viable technical solution that restricts access to the cab whilst the train is in motion whilst allowing for evacuation in the event of an emergency.”
There is no doubt that, without the pressure of the ASLEF ballot, management would not have made this commitment. We recognise that it is a first step in the right direction, and for that reason the ASLEF Executive Committee has decided not to call strike action at this time.
But we are also determined to ensure that this is not just an empty promise or used as stalling tactics. We are making it clear to the company that our mandate to take strike action remains open and that, if they do not provide firm and detailed proposals with timescales and an appropriate budget then we will not hesitate to use that mandate to call action.
The ASLEF Executive Committee will discuss this issue again on Monday October 8th.
Regular reports on progress from our H&S Council reps will go to the ASLEF Executive Committee so that we can quickly respond to any attempt to back out of this commitment.
ASLEF is determined to achieve secure driving cabs. With the support of our members we will ensure a safer Underground system for staff and passengers.
Full updates will be give at your ASLEF branch meeting.