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Leaked Memo Reveals Safety Risks On Tube A leaked internal London Underground document, passed to the RMT transport union, contradicted management claims that they have no plans for unstaffed stations as a result of the cuts. The leaked document states “There are a number of stations across the network which is [sic] left unstaffed from time to time. Where this is the case without LLPA (long line PA) there is no audible means of providing service disruption information to customers on platforms. With the OSP (station staff job cuts programme) and future station staffing changes it may become more of an issue at more locations more frequently.” This flies in the face of assurances given to the public earlier this year when London Underground stated categorically that "London Underground's future staffing proposals will continue to mean safe stations staffed at all times and all stations with a ticket office will continue to have one.' RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said, “Once again TfL have been caught out lying about the service and safety impact of their station staff jobs cuts plans. They have repeatedly told the public that they have no plans to run unstaffed stations and yet this communications report shows that that is exactly what they are planning for. There is no way that on an unstaffed station they will be able to communicate with the public in the event of an emergency or pass on service information. This report shows that the cuts are a disaster in the making. Unstaffed stations are also a muggers and vandals paradise. The mayor has promised that there will be no unstaffed stations but his officials say not only that there will but that there already are. It's about time they told the public the truth about their cuts plans.” The RMT later rejected an offer from London Underground for a safety review while, at the same time, saying that they will continue with their station staffing cuts regardless of the outcome. Bob Crow said “The proposal to conduct a station by station safety review is one that we have been calling for but to carry it out while maintaining that you will implement the planned station staffing cuts regardless renders the whole exercise meaningless and RMT will not participate in such a farce and LU are well aware of that. The idea that the safety review could be completed in 21 days in the run up to Christmas, and with the tube lurching from crisis to crisis on a daily basis, just shows us that LU management are not taking the safety issue seriously.” Source: TUC Risks
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