Since RMT's industrial action ballot returned a 95% majority in favour of taking action, discussion has been ongoing amongst workers about the next steps. This has taken place formally, in union branch meetings and region-wide reps' meeting, but also informally, in workplaces across London Underground. This discussion is an essential part of any campaign; whatever action we eventually take will be much stronger and more effective if it has been decided upon via a process of genuine democratic deliberation, with an as-large-as-possible number of members feeling investment in and ownership over the strategy.
Tubeworker believes we need to take action as soon as possible. With Covid infections now falling, we can expect to see an uptick in passengers numbers. As footfall begins to rise, our leverage increases. With the latest round of bailout funding from the government expiring on 4 February, an subsequent bailout is likely to have further strings attached. Striking around the time of any new financial settlement could have a positive effect on its content, as showing both our own bosses and the Department for Transport know that further punitive conditions on funding will be met with ongoing resistance.
Some workmates argue for a more cautious strategy, perhaps waiting until after the current phase of the pensions review concludes on 31 March. Their argument is that, currently, all of LU's proposed cuts and attacks are just maybes and potentials; workers will be more prepared to strike when they know we are facing a concrete threat.
The problem with this is that, by the time the threat becomes “concrete”, it's usually too late. Waiting until that point will leave us playing catch up, striking to oppose something that is already on the point of implementation, or even something that has already happened. “Pre-emptive self-defence” is a perfectly legitimate strategy, and a necessary one in this instance.
It's also important to remember that, for many of us, the threats are already concrete. LU has already announced specific cuts on stations, overhauling the SRT and revenue frameworks to increase “flexibility”, and announcing up to 600 jobs to go across dozens of stations. The company has even announced the specific stations it plans to target for cuts. But these cuts are not a “stations issue”. If they are not stopped, they will spread. All RMT members on LU, wherever they work, have an interest in stopping them.
A second area of debate concerns what form of action we should take. Some argue for an all-out 24-hour strike as an opening salvo, followed by a wait-and-see period to gauge the company's response. Others, including Tubeworker, believe we need to announce an ongoing programme of action rather than a one-off strike. A 24-hour strike on its own will be a token gesture.
At the same time, we shouldn't pretend there are no challenges. We haven't had LU-wide strikes since 2016. There is a whole generation of workers on the job now who've never been on strike. In that context, it would be naïve to imagine we could just announce a three or four-day strike (or more!) straight away. The confidence to take that kind of action needs to be built up. Announcing an ongoing programme of action is a good way to do that. A programme of action over several months could include inbuilt escalation, with strikes lengthening from month to month. It could also involve selective action, with different groups of workers striking at different times, as a way to maintain pressure between all-out strikes.
Whatever your view on the next steps, it's vital we don't approach this dispute passively, waiting for “the union”, conceived of as some external body, to “tell us” what to do. We are the union, and it's up to us to decide what strategy we think will be most effective. Speak to your reps, attend your branch meeting and regional meetings, and have your say.
