TfL Board Meeting Report - 06/09: Personnel, Industrial Action and Swine Flu

Once again we offer our thanks to TfL for allowing us to plunder their board meeting papers. As ever, we chip in our fourpenneth in Italics.

In addition to the regular Commissioner’s report this month, Peter Hendy presented additional reports on TfL’s achievements during the Mayor’s first year in office and the Metronet Situation. The next board meeting is scheduled for the 29th July 2009.

Surface Transport Appointments

On 13 July, Garrett Emmerson, currently Director of Strategy and Policy in TfL Planning will take up his new role as Chief Operating Officer – Streets and Traffic. He will replace Peter Brown who is retiring at the beginning of July.
The Chief Operating Officer of Streets and Traffic is responsible for keeping London moving by optimising investment in, and providing effective operation and management of, the Transport for London Road Network (the Red Routes), the Capital’s 6,000 traffic signals and associated infrastructure and for providing real-time traffic management and information in response to events and incidents on the network. Garrett will be responsible for the Directorates of Road Network Management, Road Network Performance and Traffic Operations, whose activities are key in delivering the Mayor’s smoothing traffic flow agenda.
On 15 June, Ben Plowden, currently Director of TfL’s Smarter Travel Unit, will take up his new role as Director of Integrated Programme Delivery. Ben will be leading this new Directorate that will bring together a number of key delivery programmes including walking and cycling, road safety, bus priority, public realm improvements, smarter travel and freight. Working in partnership across TfL and with the boroughs and other key stakeholders, the aim of the Directorate is to deliver integrated transport programmes across London to support more sustainable patterns of movement of both people and goods.

Victoria Line industrial action

Industrial action by train operators belonging to the RMT Union meant that no services ran on the Victoria line on 22 April and 21 May. RMT have given four reasons for the dispute:

Dismissal of a Train Operator: A train operator was dismissed for failing to report that he had opened the train doors on the wrong side while at a station. The internal disciplinary process, including an appeal and a review at Director level has been completed and the dismissal upheld.

Victimisation of an RMT activist: An individual submitted a claim to the Employment Tribunal on this issue. The Tribunal found in LU’s favour. The individual is treated in exactly the same way as any other member of staff and LU has written to the RMT confirming the arrangements that apply.

Lack of Correct Side Door Enable equipment on Victoria Line trains: The current Victoria Line fleet is the only one not fitted with this equipment. London Underground has conducted a safety review to satisfy itself and its regulators that the mitigations that have been put in place are appropriate. There is no safety reason to retrospectively fit this equipment to the current Victoria Line fleet, given that it will be replaced with two years with new trains that are equipped. The safety analysis and risk assessments have been shared with the RMT.

Misuse of Attendance and disciplinary procedures: London Underground and the Trades Unions have in place well established procedures for dealing with alleged breaches of process. London Underground has proposed that senior managers together with senior Union representatives support local management to ensure that policies and procedures are operated correctly.

Further RMT industrial action

The RMT leadership between 9 and 11 June called a 48-hour strike action. Of the 9,354 members balloted, only 3,333 actually voted and of these, 2,810 members voted in favour of strike action. The dispute is in relation to pay, with the RMT seeking a 5 per cent pay offer despite negative RPI; the LU Operational Cost Review process and the impact on jobs; and other procedural issues.
Despite strike action, LU was able to run services on the majority of lines throughout the dispute including near normal services on the Northern line and services along the entire Jubilee line.
Response to London Underground Strike Action
TfL laid on a raft of extra services as part of a major effort to help Londoners and commuters get around the capital.
Over a hundred extra buses were provided each strike day to help alleviate pressure on the 700 routes TfL operate. On London’s roads, prompt information was relayed to travellers via Variable Messaging Signs and the TfL website, and road works on major London roads were suspended wherever possible. Early indications suggest a nine per cent increase in traffic entering the Congestion Charging zone. For cyclists, led commuter rides were offered on five routes, London Bridge Cycle Park opened and additional cycle parks were set up at four locations. Early reports suggest a 22 per cent increase in cycle flows over the two days.
At rail termini, thousands of walking maps were handed out and fixed price taxi sharing was organised for five stations in addition to those already operating at Paddington and Euston.
On the river, 10,000 people (2,500 each peak period) took advantage of the free shuttle boat service between the Tower of London, Westminster and the London Eye.
Across the public transport network, 1,200 uniformed officers were deployed to ensure the safety and security of passengers across all modes.
For the England v Andorra match on 10 June, the London Traffic Control Centre implemented a Wembley traffic plan, and TfL worked closely with the FA, Wembley Stadium, the BTP and Metropolitan Police to allow 58,000 people to attend the game with Tube services on all three lines serving the stadium. In addition, TfL had 119 buses on standby to enable return journeys into central London.

Swine flu outbreak

On 24 April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported an outbreak of ‘swine flu’ (Influenza A (H1N1)) in Mexico and the USA and subsequently on 27 April upgraded the WHO pandemic flu alert phase from 3 to 4. On 28 April, there was an announcement of cases of swine flu in the UK. On 29 April, the WHO raised its alert level from phase 4 to phase 5, and a pandemic was declared on 11 June.
On 28 April, a TfL wide Flu Gold group was set up. The setting up of this group was in line with prior planning for a possible outbreak of pandemic flu. The group has representation from the operational modes, Occupational Health, HR, external and Internal Communications, Group Property and Facilities and Group HSE. In addition, the Operational modes, the Corporate Directorates and HR have each convened flu teams to support more detailed preparation. A TfL wide pandemic flu exercise was carried out during February 2009 and lessons learned from this exercise have been incorporated into forward planning.
The TfL Flu Gold group has continued to meet to plan and coordinate activities aligned with Government advice.
Members of the TfL Flu Gold group have also met with GLA and Functional Body representatives to share information and to confirm the status of business continuity plans in relation to pandemic flu.
TfL is also represented at London Resilience Partnership meetings on swine flu. These meetings are attended by NHS London, the Department of Health and the Health Protection Agency, as well as other key members of the partnership.