The fire regulations covering London Underground tube lines (Section 12 of the fire precautions act 1971) were a recommendation of the Fennell report into the 1985 Kings Cross Fire. They were implemented in 1991/1992 to ensure the safety of our passengers, staff, and emergency services called to assist us. The report had identified weaknesses in our operating procedures and set out to strengthen them.
It recommended and set down standards on means of escape, the means of safely fighting a fire, the means of detection and raising the alarm, and the training of staff in all these areas.
Minimum staffing levels at all sub service stations were a vital part of that report. Now for the second time the Government are trying to abolish these regulations and with them any minimum staffing levels.
The Governments first attempt in 2004 to repeal the entire 1971 act along with section 12 was by drafting a new Regulatory Reform (fire safety) order 2004. This would have watered down the existing "legislation" into a series of "guidelines". This attempt to put us and our passengers at risk was defeated in the House of Commons by the intervention of the RMT Parliamentary group of MPs. (An example of why we should be back in the Labour Party giving them support at constituency and executive level.)
The Government then said it would repeal the regulations in April 2006 when the Fire Safety Order 2004 would be implemented. This was again opposed by RMT sponsored MPs, demonstrations and lobbies of parliament.
The government now say that it will monitor the situation and scrap section 12 within six to 12 months after the fire safety order comes into force.
We can not allow this to happen.
The new order does not specify minimum standards and is only a guideline not a legal requirement. Protection for anyone working on or passing through the tube will be drastically reduced.
This is a thin edge of the wedge that will open the door to wholesale staff cuts and dangerous working practices.
The order will abolish the use of fire certificates and move toward a risk assessment based approach to fire safety. It will remove the regulations for sub service stations which were put in place after Kings Cross. Will the bosses never stop putting profit above our safety?
It is clear to anyone with half a brain that if you take legislation away and replace it with guidelines, you will see those guidelines stretched to breaking point and beyond in a very short space of time. Why are the government so eager to push this through? The short answer is money. The less the bosses have to worry about safety standards the more profit they can turn in.
Until the body bags are being pulled out of stations and trains again, they will not care. They have learnt nothing from the July 7th bombings. They have learnt nothing from Kings Cross, guidelines can never replace legislation.
The RMT are campaigning hard on this issue. Join them in their fight. This affects all staff; train operators stuck in a tunnel need station staff to assist them. If section 12 is scrapped they will not be there. Our office staff travel in on our trains and are at risk, our station staffs jobs are on the line and those that will be left will have their lives on the line.
We must campaign to keep section 12 and if necessary take industrial action to defend it.
