Nelson's Column
Link To Us Bookmark
January
Three Cheers for the Tube Station Workers 3rd January 2006
Brave staff break their own strike to rescue the New Year festivities while their 'leader' holidays in the sun.
I see from this morning’s papers that Bob Crow, the ‘leader’ of the RMT, has issued a Press Release describing the strike on New Year’s Eve as a ‘united and determined stand’. This statement might carry a little more credibility were it not for the fact that Crow is currently sunning himself in Egypt, thousands of miles from the 4000 station workers he is supposed to represent.

These workers in turn have earned a huge debt of gratitude from all Londoners by turning up for work on New Year’s Eve in defiance of their union leaders. I may not know much about union politics, but I recognise Crow – he is a fat, blundering pantomime villain and he has hopefully made his last turn on our stage. When you call a strike and nobody pays it any mind, you have lost the confidence of your members.

Millions of Londoners were absolutely dismayed by the prospect of a New Year’s Eve Tube Strike. Personally I have a champagne socialist’s instinct in these matters and always like to see a union sticking it to the odious fat cats who mismanage our country… but the idea of a strike designed to ruin New Year’s Eve sent me only one signal. Their union is balloting them with idiotic proposals.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers has a long, proud history and represents upwards of 70,000 essential workers in this country. During the dispute, station staff were quite rightly hailed as ‘heroes’ by Mr Crow, who cited the events of July 7. In fact, the heroism of tube staff is of the more everyday kind. They keep our tubes clean, safe, and functional, a daily miracle for which 10 million passengers are typically ungrateful.

This ‘Almost Strike’ has certainly made us appreciate those 4000 station staff whose brave blacklegging rescued our festivities. If it had been carried through, the results would have been a disaster for the union and everybody representing it, crushing all vestiges of public support and leading thousands of member to defect.

This columnist wanted to hug the tube staff at her station as she rolled back from Hackney at 9 in the morning on New Year’s Day. The city owes these people a huge debt of gratitude, not just for the party at the weekend, but for their daily work. I hear a lot of grumbling about big fat pay packets and short hours but they deserve every penny. Imagine herding sarcastic, smelly cattle day and night without the aid of an electric prod.

According to their schedules, the RMT’s next priority is a second strike on this coming weekend. In reality, I think they’ll be more concerned with repairing their strategy.

A million thanks from Londoners to Tube Workers. Boo and hiss to the RMT leadership. And three cheers for good old Ken Livingston whose words I shall leave you with:

"I want to pay special tribute to the police, emergency services and transport workers who helped get hundreds of thousands of people home safely. The Tube strike hardly materialised. The majority of London Underground staff did not agree that it made sense to punish ordinary Londoners on New Year's Eve."
Woody goes soft on Big Apple
Archetypal New Yorker, Woody Allen, has transferred his film-making affections from the Big Apple to London. The 70-year-old director has admitted that filming is much easier in London because of the lack of interference from financial backers. Speaking before the British premiere of Match Point, the first film he has made in London, the director admitted: "My relationship with American audiences is the exact same as it always has been. They never came to see my films, and they don't come now."
City Slackers
The capital’s male city slickers work the shortest amount of hours per week according to the annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Male bankers and brokers work an average of just 37.3 hours a week.
Park and Hide
Little New Street car park at the International Press Centre in Holborn has been officially named the country’s worst place for forgetting where you parked. The competition, run by AA Insurance, looked at car parks all over the country. Unfortunately, Little New Street was the only London car park to get a mention.
October 2009
26th October
Posties Strike a Chord
26th October
Frieze Still Pleases
September 2009
26th September
A River Runs Through It
23rd September
Blogging is Best
August 2009
26th August
When Saturday comes
22nd August
Bring on the Bikes
July 2009
27th July
Against the Clock
20th July
View for a thrill
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
18th February
New Photography Laws
12th February
Glitz and the Pitts
January 2009
27th January
Setting the Standard
21st January
Too Much for Posh Nosh?
December 2008
23rd December
January is on the Horizon
20th December
Merry Christmas
November 2008
26th November
All The World's A Stage
20th November
Surviving the Crunch
October 2008
24th October
Boris v Jingjing
17th October
Soaps in Pole Position
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
23rd April
By George
11th April
Back to the 80s
March 2008
February 2008
20th February
Dark, Satanic Turnmills
6th February
A Diamond in the Drink
January 2008
21st January
People Wanted for Plinth
14th January
Boo! Hiss!
December 2007
28th December
Tate That - A Hirst for Art
20th December
Christmas Shopping
November 2007
27th November
Mind the Gap
26th November
London On A Tray
October 2007
26th October
Leaving the Station
14th October
The Sky's the Limit
September 2007
August 2007
24th August
Heathrow under Siege
17th August
Gormless
10th August
Losing Face
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
23rd March
So, Another Magazine
16th March
Avoiding iContact
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
26th May
Curvaceous Border
12th May
Vegging Out
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
20th January
February Sales
20th January
Moby Sick
13th January
Glass Half Full
3rd January
Three Cheers for the Tube Station Workers
December 2005
22nd December
January Bites
16th December
A Remarkable Year
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
29th July
Moving On From 7/7
22nd July
Get loaded in the park
15th July
Victoire!!
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
30th December
Party Pooper
23rd December
The Second Battle of Trafalgar
16th December
Sadie's Year
November 2004
28th November
Ripper-Watch
21st November
Kinky Boots
14th November
Smoked out
October 2004
22nd October
Yuppie Meal
15th October
Fines of Fury
8th October
No Twist in the Turner
September 2004
17th September
Battleships, bloodsports and Batman
10th September
Clique Week
3rd September
Return of the Bard
August 2004
July 2004
 
Link to Three Cheers for the Tube Station Workers
To link to this page from your website use this code.
 
 
The link will appear on your page as:
 
Home | Contact us | Terms & Conditions | Link to us | Marketing | Partners | Subscriptions
Sponsor
Our favourite London hotels
May Fair Hotel
Luxury Hotels
 
In Trafalgar Square
20% off
 
At Liverpool Street
50% off
 
At Green Park
35% off
 
Near Covent Garden
30% off
 
Cavendish Hotel
Mid-range Hotels
 
Near Parliament
35% off
 
Near National Gallery
47% off
 
Near Tower Bridge
35% off
 
In Little Venice
40% off
 
Discounted theatre tickets
Chicago
57% off
 
29% off
 
42% off
 
56% off
 
47% off
 
38% off
 
Diner & Theatre Deals
Oliver
from £24.50
 
from £29.00
 
from £32.50
 
from £42.50
 
from £45.00
 
from £27.50
 
London Sightseeing
London Eye
10% off
 
10% off
 
10% off
 
from £8.50
 
from £25.00
 
10% off
 
LondonTown.com has special discounts every week. The amount of discount will vary depending on the dates you are coming and how far in advance you book. All discounts are subject to availability.
Recently viewed Favourites
Recently viewed