The RMT is pulling out all the stops as talks continue to try and avert Tube strikes next week.
An alleged memo from RMT leaders to ASLEF members has been published on the Going Underground blog (reproduced here) exhorting them to walk out in support of proposed strikes over pay and job security, a somewhat dubious strategy since ASLEF members haven't yet voted on the strike. We hadn't realised it was de rigueur to encourage other unions to give up their members, however temporarily.
The irony of it all is that the RMT acknowledge striking against job and pay cuts will lose money but appear to be unable to resist the temptation to stick one up at Boris Johnson. It's not the first time they've had a little sideswipe at him either; earlier this week he was criticised by the RMT over the Tube alcohol ban.
"We hope that the mayor, who was full of praise for his transport staff earlier this year when they struggled against the snow to try and keep London moving, will issue a clear mandate to his senior staff to lift the threat of pay cuts and compulsory redundancies," Bob Crow said, as if trying to soften the mayor up a bit by offering a smidgen of praise for his, er, praise.
LUL management bullying is a favourite gripe of the RMT's, yet long-suffering Londoners are hardly less bullied by repeated strike action which will never win supporters in the carriages. The fact that we're in a recession and Tube customers who had a 6% fare rise twisted out of them at the start of the year face the prospect of losing their jobs every time they step into the office also appears to have passed the RMT by as they demand assurances there will be no redundancies. If only we could all be guaranteed jobs and pay, life would be just peachy.
Update: Ian Visits has the most unusual analysis, with insights about the font.
