More Tube misery from Ken's friends

As night follows day, tube unions bosses will order their members out on strike at least 2/3 times a year over quite often utter nonsense.  There have been 16 strikes since Ken became Mayor.  One strike recently was called over a group of employees who were disciplined after being suspected of drinking on duty.

At the end of last week, tube union bosses called for yet another 48 hour strike.  There were hopes of a breakthrough but I understand they have announced today that there will be a strike in a bid to secure 'unequivocal written guarantees' on outsourcing, pensions and travel facilities.

A strike is completely unnecessary and will not achieve anything.  The RMT has been given guarantees that no staff will lose jobs, pensions or be transferred as a result of Metronet's collapse but they still will down tools 28/29 April.

Boris Johnson has called for Ken to give back all the money he has been given by all the tube unions.  Ken should condemn the unions for holding Londoners to ransom and side with commuters and businesses who will suffer as a result of this action.  See below a list of donations to Ken's campaign from the tube unions - source backboris.com

The London Underground is like no other public service, in that strikes can paralyse the whole city. This is why a special arrangement needs implementing to protect Londoners from disagreements between London Underground management and union leaders.

• Since 2001, they have taken almost half a million from the TSSA union, £150,889 from Bob Crow and the RMT and £359,554 from ASLEF.
• Ken Livingstone has previously rewarded Bob Crow with an appointment to the Board of Transport for London.

• Industrial action also has a huge cost to the London economy.  For example, the strike in 2004 is estimated to have cost £60 million in lost productivity.