Tony Blair wants to clear the decks before the general elec JUNC London Underground is an issue he been wants out of the was London Labour MPs are i increasingly worried their necks. So whilst Blair doing deals with Kiley and Livingstone, John Monks was pressed into ser vice to try RMT to drop their opposition to tube privatisation LUL. TCP Crow Rather than take the opporrunity to push through rube workers demands, Bob Crow issues has given in. Offered a deal which pupports to give tube WCTC workers a guaranteed "tot for life" Crow forced through the RMT executive the postfor May 3. A consultation May o will oc askca to scluc the dispute on this basis. if the that their dispute has been hijacked, particularly when cult to enforce.
secret talks with Monks with even the RMT tracts run on full time organiser for LUl. kept in the dark. shows hey are furious that on With a the EC rep for Scotland to move the resolution to suspend the action, against the wishes of the their formal rights "jobs for life" offer is useless. The Kiley It answers none of the safety ProteCtOR which members balloted. Indeed up until last week Crow had likes of the ripening Standard has been justified that this dispute about "jobs for life".
will also be sitting down with offer does not stand up. Even formulas were placed in the new PPP bidders.
fied with a form of unified contracts they would be dillimanagement In any case, the experience of the other engineering con- ferred into the clutches of the mainline this collection of rogues. This will still mean safety railway, by the same contrac problem. is compromised of staff, workers jobs and conditions pur at risk. formally protected start to RMT members are mobil. lose out to new staff on worse ising for their "consultation" conditions. It becomes progressively easier for management to run roughshod over deal gives no Don't make things casy for Whilst Blair and Prescott - the only details are still sketchy at the way to win is to keep up the time of writing, it seems that pressure with further strike action now - for a total withcaution expressed in previous issues for direct Kiley says he will continue investment in the future of with the judicial review of the Underground. Susan Moore executive a simple THE GOVERNMENT has announced its preferred bid. ders to run the London Underground.
Whoever had been chosen, we would have all been losers as they set perforgovernment "Infracos' at 5 per cent below the existing inadequate standarosHowever the specific records of the winners are worth noting.
or the Jubilee, Northern Tubelines, a consortium has been chosen which includes Amey, the comparty responsible for the siting of signal SN109 at Jarvis, responsible for 60% main line - what a recom. mendation! Last August it was fined €500,000 for breaches of health and safety regulations following two freight train derailments in 1999. For the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines, Metronet, the chosen consortium the company responsible for maintaining the track in the Hatfield area prior to the crash; and WS Atkins, which to fit Automatic Train Protection, the system that Paddington disaster. Also involved are Adtranz who according to research published by responsible for Livingstone are deaths and disasters involved in supon the mainline plying the nuclear industry railway are now to as well as illegal take over the Tube"
Struck and arms deals to Iraq. Finally there is Thames Water, who has been fined £250,000 for polluting the on their performance in 1998-99 makes worrying reading. So the companies respon ters on the mainline railway are now to take over the Tube. The companies that make up these consortia both arms have apolling records of endangering the health and safety of both workers and the general puttic.