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Badabing · November 16th 03, 03:38 PM posted to uk.transport.london

in article , Clive D. W. Feather at
wrote on 12/11/03 6:06 PM:

In article , "I@n"
-uk writes
I don't care what anyone says, doctors note or not, there is no way
someone can be well enough to play squash but be unable to push a few
buttons on a train, or perform lesser duties for a while if necessary.

Irrespective of the facts of the original case, that statement is
rubbish.

Four examples off the top of my head:

(1) The person is short of stamina and can only stay active for an hour
or two. Fine for playing squash but not for driving trains.

(2) The person has an injury in an area which doesn't affect them
playing squash but does affect train driving (e.g. left wrist of a
right-handed person, or a hip problem preventing them sitting in one
position for long periods.

(3) The injured area is reliable enough for unimportant tasks but not
for critical ones. Exercising an injured ankle through playing squash
might be recommended; if it starts to hurt, the person can stop playing,
whereas if it plays up while driving a train, they can't just stop.

(4) The person has an intermittent eyesight problem that doesn't stop
them playing a game but isn't safe for something like train driving. For
example, temporary blindness in one part of the retina, or temporary
blindness in low light.

And finally there's one that's happened to me: "don't you dare go back
to work until everything's been fine for a few days".

Jesus Christ. So in defending the strike actions, you are basically saying
that the ability to play vigorous squash is not just a valid but a near
essential way of assessing if someone is fit to work for London Underground
since it covers all those hypothetical 'safety issues' you mention above.

Let me ask you:

Are you claiming that every LU employee is in a fit enough physical
condition to play a vigourous squash match? That's quite a claim.

Do you think the unions would like it if LU managers introduced a new
medical exam where all employees had to play a vigorous game of squash, and
anyone unable to do so was sacked, on the basis of the 'safety' reasons you
have given above?

I presume you're answer must be 'yes' to both of those questions.

Finally, if someone is unfairly dismissed, there are proper legal channels
that individual can take. If the guy wants to take LU to court there is
nothing stopping him. I'm sure Bob Crowe and his union, who believe the man
is right and the management is wrong, would be happy to fund his court
action and save us all a lot of hassle.