London Underground workers are to stage a 24-hour strike next month.
The RMT union announced on Thursday that its members would walk off the job from 10pm on May 7 and “take other forms of industrial action” in a dispute over the sacking of a colleague.
The union said workers had voted to strike after one of its members was sacked and two others disciplined “for intervening to stop a serious assault (at London Bridge) station by a fare-dodger on fellow staff members including one who was pregnant”.
RMT’s executive is to “instruct all members” at London Bridge to take strike action by “not booking on for any shifts commencing 22:00hrs on Sunday 7th May 2017 until 21:59 on Monday 8th May 2017”.
The incident that RMT members are striking over occurred last November and involved a fare-dodger, the union said, who “assaulted three members of staff, including pushing a pregnant colleague in the stomach”.
The union said in a statement: “The staff member who initially challenged the fare-dodger to produce a ticket or oyster card was disciplined on the ludicrous, trumped-up charge of ‘inciting or provoking an incident’. A third member of staff, who defused the situation after being repeatedly threatened with violence, has also been disciplined by London Underground when they should have been commended for their bravery.”
It continued: “This is one of the most appalling abuses of the LU disciplinary procedure that RMT has ever come across. This was a shocking, violent incident and those that bore the brunt of it should have been supported and commended by the company. Instead they have been sacked or disciplined in what is the most appalling multiple miscarriage of justice.”