Since Sunday 1st March 2009 London Underground has been running a trial where customers are not able to top up their Oyster card for less than £5 at the ticket office window. The trial is running at London Bridge, Liverpool Street, Bond Street, South Kensington and Earl’s Court. Customers who now want to put less than £5 on their Oystercard will have to use a POM. The RMT objected to the trial and advised our members not to take part in it as it is clear that this is part of an ongoing strategy to move customers away from Ticket office windows. Reducing transactions at the window will result in the loss of SAMF jobs and this is demonstrated in the briefing note issued to Unions at the stations Revenue Forum:

“In order to reduce the number and length of ticket office transactions, it is proposed to restrict PAY As You Go (PAYG) top ups at ticket office windows to a minimum of £5, unless the customer is clearing a previous negative balance on their card. Currently PAYG sales make up 38% of all ticket window sales and almost half of these, (795,000) are below £5. The average PAYG top up last period was £2.15.”

LUL are targeting 795,000 monthly transactions at the window with the expressed aim of driving these customers away from the window. This will clearly translate into ticket office cutbacks, they are not doing it to lighten the workload of SAMF’s, they will want to get rid of our jobs. Even though 14 months ago as a result of threatened strike action by RMT management agreed to stop bringing in measures which would drive customers away from Ticket Offices, they are intent on resuming these attacks.

Management have now extended this trial to a further five stations, Kings Cross, Euston, Victoria, Paddington and Brixton and RMT again opposed this extension but management have proceeded with it .

Of course the big difference between now and 14 months ago is that management are trying to rip up the Jobs for life deal which guarantees any member of staff whose job becomes redundant an offer of a suitable alternative job. Station staff are in the front line for staffing cutbacks and we must fight to keep the jobs for life deal. The current dispute and strike action is part of this fight and we must play a leading role in ensuring its success.

How do we convince our colleagues in the TSSA that now is the time to fight for station jobs and job security?

Simple, speak to these colleagues and ask them this: If management come after station jobs in six or twelve months will we be able to mobilise an all grades response to these attacks?

Can station staff fight these job cuts on our own?

Given that the current dispute involves all grades of the RMT our best chances of defending station jobs is to fight now and get behind the current dispute.