A post by the senior stations boss on the Bakerloo Line on Yammer, LU's "social network" (/management megaphone) suggests that free communal tea and coffee supplies, which were a standard in the dim and distant past, may be returning to stations.
Good news. A little token of appreciation goes along way. But anyone inclined to tug their forelocks and effusively thank the bosses for their generosity should remember the following:
1) They're only restoring something that used to be provided and they took away.
2) Managerial staff in various head office locations already have access to free tea and coffee, including quite a wide range of fairly fancy options, so bunging us a value pack of Tetleys and some Maxwell House (because, let's be honest, we're not holding out much hope for the good stuff) is hardly bringing us the moon on a stick.
3) The timing of the announcement, over the same weekend as the launch of the unpopular and unnecessary red tabards, makes the gesture look at best like an attempt to mollify and placate what management recognises as widespread resentment on stations and, at worst, like a bribe to stop people complaining about the tabards too much.
So, all in all, we say: have a cuppa on the company - frankly, it's the least they can do - but let's not get too pally with or grateful to the bosses. Free caffeine or not, we're still on opposite sides.
