Raise Lillie Bridge Depot Closure Concerns with New London Mayor Sadiq Khan
Our branch wants the matter of the planned closure of Lillie Bridge Depot and provision of appropriate an alternative location to be raised with the New London Mayor Sadiq Khan as and when proposed talks between the Mayor and the RMT take place
Beginning this year notice has been given to our departments Track Delivery Unit, Maintenance Infrastructure Services, Track Manufacturing Department, Material Management Department (Stores), Transplant, Fleet Maintenance, District Line Trains and Plant Services at Lillie Bridge Depot that we are required to vacate the depot by 2019.
The services undertaken in and from Lillie Bridge Depot are highly specialist and are vital to the operation of maintenance, Capital Programmes project work and the daily running of the tube.
Sections such as the Track Manufacturing Department also have operational requirements for specialist machinery which can not readily be located elsewhere.
The livelihood and continued work of all affected RMT members is under a most severe threat due to previous conservative Party London Mayor Boris Johnson’s wish to wrap up the Capco/TfL luxury housing development deal for the super-rich between Earl’s Court, West Kensington and West Brompton at the expense of local tenants, residents and the jobs of our RMT members affected by the accompanying demolition of Lillie Bridge Depot.
For all these reasons the RMT should impress on the new London Mayor that the ill advised and expensive proposal to continue with this development should be rejected.
Previous talks at LU Company Council level in September 2013 aimed at averting a dispute were successful and ended in an agreement that the Beaumont Ave end of the depot would be opened up to allow works traffic in and out during the Lillie Rd development, and that LU/TfL would consult the RMT properly and in good time as and when the TfL/Capco development plans progressed to affect the depot again.
LU are again failing to consult properly; and as a consequence RMT are in dispute and balloting our members at Lillie Bridge Depot.
RMT believe that the London Mayor should end the proposal to develop the depot; short of that the Reps and members and this Branch will not be satisfied until we have:
- An agreement signed off at the highest LU/TfL level setting out an acceptable location for us all to move to.
- An agreement signed off at the highest LU/TfL level that all the finances needed to fund the move plus any building etc at the new location is agreed to be made available.