London Underground Workers Union Reject Olympic Bonus

London Underground rail workers have rejected a bonus offer covering the Olympics, raising the realistic possibility that there might be delays on services during the Games this year.

The RMT union said the offer from management at publicly owned London Underground had too many “strings and caveats” attached to it.

Public transport is at the centre of the travel plans for the July 27-Aug. 12 Games and there are fears that London’s crowded and ageing networks will struggle to cope with the additional demand.

“It is well documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period with massive pressure on staff and services from moving millions of extra passenger journeys around Greater London and the South East,” said RMT General Secretary Bob Crow.

“All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing.”

London Underground (LU) director George McInulty said: “This summer LU staff will be asked to work flexibly, and we are determined to properly acknowledge the contribution they will be making to a fantastic Olympics and Paralympics Games while keeping London moving.

“We have put forward our proposals about how our staff could be fairly rewarded based, as usual, on feedback from our customers and on the flexibility that staff show in working different shift patterns.”

The RMT said the offer consisted of a 100-pound ($160) bonus dependent on meeting certain “customer satisfaction” targets, plus an additional 20 pounds per shift during the Olympics and Paralympics.