TUBE UNION RMT today exposed the safety dangers of cutting station staff serving one of London's largest regular crowd venues – Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
RMT have revealed that London Underground plan to almost halve staffing numbers at stations that come under enormous pressure when matches and events are being held at the Emirates. The stations affected are Arsenal, Finsbury Park, Caledonian Road and Holloway Road - all on the Piccadilly line.
Congestion Control Emergency Plans (CCEP's) have been altered showing dangerous cuts to staffing – impacting on day to day safety as well as for events at the Emirates. For example, the largest and busiest station Finsbury Park, which serves Victoria and Piccadilly Lines, as well as national rail to Stevenage, Peterborough and Cambridge, will be cut from the current staffing level of 20 to just 12. This will seriously increase the risk of major incidents and dangerously reduce the ability to evacuate quickly and safely.
RMT general Secretary Bob Crow said:
"Once again, Boris Johnson has broken another pledge - that he would protect front line staff and services from any budget cuts. Now we see that he plans to dramatically increase the risk to staff and football fans alike by ruthlessly slashing essential staff serving one of London's busiest sporting venues. This is just a foretaste of what's to come as we build up towards the 2012 Olympics.
"The cuts to staffing at stations around the Arsenal ground are matched by cuts elsewhere on the Tube where 800 jobs are under threat and we are committed to taking action to protect both our members and the travelling public."
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