London Underground management have sewn further anger and disgust amongst staff as they effectively confirm that plans for cuts are not only real but are already being put into action. Their statement, far from "clarifying" matters, in a mixture of management jargon and avoidance of the real issues, de facto confirms that the axing of jobs and ticket offices is core to the LU management programme.
All 268 Tube ticket offices could be closed under plans to save millions of pounds.
Ticket offices to be replaced by 20 plus “travel centres” at the larger mainline stations such as Waterloo, Euston and King’s Cross.
Passengers at other Tube or London Overground stations would have to use automatic machines instead.
Transport for London refused to confirm or deny the move saying various proposals were being discussed and staff “would be told first”.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
"If London Underground were seeking to calm the waves of anger that have been unleashed by the leaking of the cuts plans through issuing this memo than I can tell them that they have achieved the exact opposite.
"By failing to address any of the key issues, and throwing up a series of smokescreens and patronising statements, they are confirming that not only are the cuts to staff and closure of ticket offices the real deal but they are already being rolled out.
"RMT wants the Mayor out in the open on this one, Boris Johnson cannot hide behind his senior transport officials while the butchering of jobs and services that he pledged to defend is being cooked up behind closed doors.
"RMT is already balloting over the axing of the guards on London Overground which is the first part of this cuts plan and be in no doubt we will extend the balloting franchise right across London to stop this brutal £2 billion of cuts to London's transport budgets."
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