TfL's Transport Enforcement Officers Set to Strike
Union says there will be 'fare free-for-all' in run up to Christmas
Transport enforcement officers on duty. Picture: TfL
December 6, 2024
300 hundred Transport for London (Tf) staff members responsible for tackling fare evasion on tubes, trains and buses and liaising with the police over anti-social behaviour on the transport network are poised to strike.
Employees of the Directorate of Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security (CPOS) are unhappy about a pay offer of a lump sum rather than an annual percentage increase. Additionally, staff claim that management is refusing to deal with pay parity issues with equivalent London Underground staff.
Their union, Unite, has now announced strike dates on 12,13 and 14 December and then the 20,21 and 22 December which it says will result in a ‘fare free-for-all’ on London’s public transport. TfL says that the strike will only impact the bus network.
As well as investigating and prosecuting fare evaders, the CPOS manages the 11-18 free travel scheme on buses and requests from police and law enforcement agencies for customer information and CCTV footage to address policing, national security and law enforcement issues. They are also responsible for checks on taxis.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “Our members keep London and its residents safe and sound on the TfL network. Yet these vital workers are being undervalued and have been offered an unacceptable pay deal. Unless TfL think again and come back to the table with an improved offer, London will see a fares free-for-all in the run up to Christmas.”
Unite regional officer Steven Stockwell said, “These workers are putting themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis and just want pay parity compared to other colleagues in London on a different part of the network.
“That TfL has decided to make such an unacceptable offer has made our members furious and their anger will be on display on picket lines later this month.”
A TfL spokesperson said, "We are disappointed that the Unite union has announced this strike action for members of our Compliance, Policing, Operations and Security Directorate. We have held a number of constructive discussions with our trade unions and have presented an attractive pay offer that has been accepted by other unions. This action only impacts the bus network, however we have measures in place and still plan to have officers carrying out revenue inspection on buses."
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |