Support the tube strike - on the picket line with RMT leader Bob Crow this morning

On the way into work this morning I stopped by to support the tube workers on strike for 48 hours in protest at management bullying. The RMT deserves the support of those involved in the Palestinian solidarity movement as it is one of the more political unions and plays a key role in issues of social justice, as you can see from the banner pictured above.

Bob Crow points out (although you won't read this in the anti-worker Evening Standard) that they had a deal last night with the managers but then they changed their mind, presumably after instruction from Tory rich boy and mayor Boris Johnson. The bosses returned to the negotiating room and ripped up their previous agreement.

Boris and the Tories see the tube workers as their miners - that's to say they want to crush a well-organised group of workers as a prelude to hammering the public sector unions in general - with the aim of making the workers pay for the bankers crisis.

The strike is solid so not much call for anything more than token picketing.

The standard photographer was a nice enough guy - only wish they would report the truth and stop spreading lies about the dispute.

The Standard reporter is in the same union as me (NUJ) but didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. When she arrived at the picket line she asked to know if Bob Crow was here. He was standing in front of her! I urged her to print the truth about the workers' grievances.

Among other things, workers have been suspended on the Victoria Line for opening doors on the wrong side of the train. But on every other line on the system there is a fail-safe system to prevent just such an eventuality. The union has been arguing with management for years to install the system on the Victoria Line. But instead of doing so they prefer to victimise and bully staff for their own shortcomings.

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