'Spanish Practices' at Boll(er)o House
For the info of Piccadilly Line users (and for that matter all taxpayers) - item in current Private Eye:- "A leaked report on working practices among drivers on the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground makes unnerving reading for travellers."The unpublished report for the trains functional council, joint management-union body, was prepared by two senior officials of the RMT and Aslef unions. It says “serious safety questions” are raised by the fact that the records off shifts worked by 281 drivers working out of Bollo House, a major Tube depot at Acton Town, are in many cases works of fiction."Shift records were not “properly recorded”, often being “manipulated”. Some “employees are receiving overtime payments for spurious reasons” while others “are working six days a week and are failing to record what they are doing”."The doctored records, as well as enabling pay and time-off fiddles, make it impossible to establish if drivers are taking proper rest periods before transporting thousands of commuters. Tube drivers are not allowed to drive trains for stretches longer than 4 hours and 15 minutes at a time. The report suggests this rule may regularly be flouted."A spokesperson for Transport for London told the Eye the report made “a number of recommendations... these included a programme of audits to ensure compliance across the system”. TIL would not confirm whether the top recommendation — that one “syndicate leader” [lead driver] responsible for many of the irregular rotas be removed from a position of responsibility - was ever taken up. Sources at the depot say no, so the drivers will no doubt continue to take the piss. Mind the doors!"
Chris Veasey ● 6657d1 Comments