Oyster Barrier Tailgating

TFL are keen to state that they will be increasing the number of station staff on platforms and in the ticket machine area. I assume they claim they will increase ticket barrier staff too.

I know. However, unions don't agree:

http://publicworld.org/Blog/will_london_undergrounds_ticket_office_plans
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2013/11/21-underground-job-loss-plan-sparks.html

Make no mistake, this will result in lower staffing levels. As soon as you're not tied to specific opening hours for ticket offices, where it's very visible if they're not staffed, you're much more flexible in reducing staff hours (the same trend that's happening all over Europe, i.e. more and more 'mini-jobs', people only working a couple of hours or so and not being counted in unemployment statistics because they have these tiny jobs even though their income from them isn't anywhere close to making a living), more flexible in employing casual staff, more flexible in worsening working conditions, more flexible in de-skilling, etc. It's a rotten agenda and a broken political promise.