RMT is re-balloting over ten thousand London Underground workers from today, so that the union can continue its strike action in a dispute over jobs and pensions.
The dispute has now been running for over a year, with RMT's most recent strike taking place on 16 March. The union, which represents members in all grades of Underground staff, has been challenging Transport for London's and the Mayor's plans to cut six hundred jobs on stations with many more across train operations and maintenance to follow.
Recently-revealed plans for Tube workers' pensions have raised the prospect of workers losing over 30% of their pensions.
The Conservative government is pressurising London Mayor Sadiq Khan to cut one billion pounds from TfL's operating budget. However, TfL has forecast a £75m surplus on budget this year and passenger numbers are recovering from the pandemic faster than forecast.
RMT has repeatedly urged the Mayor to stand alongside the Tube unions to resist rather than implement what it calls “ideological” cuts.
The ballot will run from 25 April until 23 May. Under legislation introduced in 2016 designed to curb strikes, successful industrial action ballots give a mandate for only six months. RMT's current mandate runs out in June. This is now the third ballot that RMT has conducted in this dispute, having previously renewed its mandate in December last year.
Speaking as the re-ballot opens, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members have taken several days of strike action over this last year and remain as determined as ever to get a just settlement on jobs, pensions and their working conditions.
“The Mayor is under pressure from central government, but he must join us in resisting them and refuse to allow ideologically motivated financial constraints to be used as an excuse to attack tube workers.
“TfL has healthy revenue streams and our members are among the thousands of tube staff that make it a successful transport provider.
“This re-ballot is vital to maintain the pressure on TfL and I urge all our members to vote yes in the postal ballot.”
