Dispute centres on the Acton Town depot
Commuters on the Piccadilly line may face disruption after the Rail Union, the RMT, says it will ballot its members on strike action in a row over the Acton Town depot.
The union claims London Underground is 'riding roughshod over agreements and abusing a range of agreed policies and procedures.'
RMT says London Underground has unilaterally decided to 'split Acton Town Piccadilly Depot into two, ripping up rosters and booking times, refusing perfectly reasonable requests for decent staff facilities and bulldozing through their plans outside of the agreed negotiating machinery.'
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "Driver and instructor members on the Piccadilly Line 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.
"We will of course be in talks with our sister drivers’ union ASLEF and London Underground should be in no doubt about the union’s determination to protect working conditions and to stop the abuse of procedures."
Phil O'Hare, Piccadilly line manager for London Underground, said: " The RMT's intention to ballot is completely unnecessary.
"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."
April 15, 2013
15th April 2013
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