Sink the Bismarck

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

28 June was an important date for Metronet - their annual testing date, on which the Infraco repeatedly switches supplies on and off causing electronic equipment to fail. This year, Metronet named their big day 'Operation Bismarck', almost an invitation to some mischief-maker to attempt to sink it.

If you were a union rep in Metronet, naffed off with management consistently ignoring everything you say about outsourcing of work to TubeLines, transfer of control staff and the Victoria Line upgrade, what would you rather do on a Saturday night? Take part in this performance, or hold a party? In any case, it was highly inconsiderate of Metronet management to schedule their testing day to coincide with a social event to which thousands of their staff might be invited!

When a particularly insightful manager made the connection between management's appalling behaviour and the unwillingness of their staff to allow work to get in the way of their social life, Metronet suddenly started to assure the RMT that there would be no outsourcing, no staff would transfer, and that there would be full consultation with the union over the Vic line upgrade. A big cheese manager even sent a text imploring that the party be cancelled now that the Infraco had made these concessions.

Lesson: If management won't play ball, then neither should we.

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