[Livia]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Are you suggesting that they haven't exhausted other avenues?

This is despite London Underground making clear to unions and staff a range of commitments including:

Every Tube station will be visibly staffed and controlled by LU staff during operating hours
There will be a job for everyone who wants to continue to be part of our organisation and who is ready to be flexible
Any operational changes will be done without compulsory redundancies where we can collaborate to make change happen
We will involve staff in any plans to grow, develop and change services
We will do this fairly and support people through change

These are not guarantees, and are rather ambiguous 'commitments' .

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/medi...ive/29467.aspx

I'm suggesting that it's six of one, and half a dozen of the other. The union would have us believe that all the bosses are moustache-twirling villains and the bosses would have us believe all union members are card-carrying Communists. And no, I don't think the unions have exhausted all other avenues.

It's interesting that you emboldened the bit about requiring staff to be flexible. Like it's something unthinkable to the union. Everyone has to be flexible in the workplace these days, it's the way it is. Sadly the days of lifelong jobs, where you drilled the same hole in the same place for forty years is long gone.

I've just seen Bob Crow on the Politics Show. I don't always agree with him, but I just can't help admiring him. I particularly liked the quote he used from Henry Ford who told a worker "See that robot over there, he doesn't have a union card", to which the worker replied "See that robot over there, he can't buy a car". Very true... and closing ticket offices is another way the human face is being eradicated from business and service and putting people out of work. Which is why, for instance, I refuse to use self-checkout at supermarkets. But I still don't think that strike action is the right one or they will lose the support of people who could support them, ie their customers.