Diary of a Tube worker: A bonfire coming

Submitted by AWL on 17 November, 2020 - 2:30 Author: Jay Dawkey
Tube worker

On the Tube, you don’t really notice Lockdown 2 until the weekends and the late evenings. It’s definitely quieter then, but throughout the day the flow of people seems about the same. How many people have returned to working from home is hard to gauge.

“We’ll be back in lockdown January to March, won’t we?” N says. “If furlough is on till March, that’s what they’ll do. “And in April, when they do the new accounts, they’ll be getting rid of everyone won’t they. I’m not sure people have seen it coming. It’ll be a bonfire.”

F, the supervisor, thinks that “In March we will see a lot of changes here. Got the mayoral election, the report, they’ll be trying to change a lot at TfL [Transport for London] I think.”

I add that those proposed adverse changes are down to us to stop. “Lot of pressure on the Mayor, though. He’s being blamed by the government. I think Londoners will see through it. We know who got it into this mess. And it won’t be Shaun Bailey that can get us out of it.”

“Who?” C asks.

“Shaun Bailey is a black guy who is from London and a normal background, but he’s the Conservative candidate for mayor.”

“A black guy? I’d probably vote for him then. Hahahaha”

F goes on: “You know what he said? He said stations should be renamed after businesses to raise money. He wants it all sponsored like football stadiums.”

"He’s got no chance," I say. "Stranger things have happened, but Khan will win."

A train operator who knows the supervisor comes in to the office. They get chatting and start discussing their Christmas get together. “What we going to do for it?”

“We haven’t got any options now, have we? Not like I can book tables anywhere.”

“Ah, it will change for Christmas. Everyone will break the rules if they don’t.”

“Not sure we’ll be able to get in anywhere. And how many of us will be allowed? I can’t see it happening, mate. Hopefully next year.”

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