• Tube worker: I'm an easygoing Jedi

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It is deeply depressing that, for a service economy, the UK seems to have forgotten the meaning of the word. A great many of us have to interact with the general public in some or other capacity, and there is no excuse for such appalling behaviour. To the many TFL workers posting here in defence of Mr Morbin: you should all be ashamed of yourselves; compulsory staff retraining seems imminent for the lot of you.

- Ointmentfly, Radlett, Herts, 27/10/2009 19:43
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As a former member of LU staff I understand how Mr Morbin feels, Ok, I agree his comments and or actions are out of order, but the station staff are under constant pressure from both Customers and LU themselves.
Everyone is sayiong that Mr Morbin should be sacked, and maybe he should, however none of us know what lead up to this incident, before the chap got his arm caught iont he train door, we also don't know if the old chap had verbal towards the staff members - which in my experience is often the case, we also don't know what else had been going on - i.e. service disruption, again normally cause be the public doing something silly, such as getting onthe track, or even something serious.

Like I said maybe Mr Morbin deserves the boot, but maybe he doesn't, the job it's self can be at time extremely stressfull, and like everyone else LU staff are human, and will reach breaking point.

- Little Legsdad, Norwich, 27/10/2009 18:11
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The more I think about this story the more I like the guy. What he said and did showed that it really got uder his skin that someone was stopping a train moving and holding up other people's lives. People say they have 'passion' for their job, this guy has it in spades. Give me that over the litigious, law-wielding world of the US business consultant, however well-groomed and studiously polite, any day of the week. If LU sack him I'll be bloody furious.

- Ben, Brussels (but once a Londoner), 22/10/2009 14:39
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Typical English attitude to punish or to look for someone to blame. I feel sorry for Ian. Some passengers just make you lose your tempo, plenty of idiots everywhere and its not writen on they head. Full support for transport workers!

- Marius, London, 21/10/2009 23:54
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Its sad that Mr Morbin has not been allowed to put his side of the story, unlike the person who took the video who seems to be making a career out of it. Having worked with the wonderful british public i can assure you it would take a complete saint (or doormat) not to get annoyed with the utter rudeness some people feel they have to display.
However, i am not shocked at the vitriol displayed by many of the commentators here - its a perfect example of the aforementioned public are just reactionary.

- Kh, London UK, 21/10/2009 15:45
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Mr Farbiash, a lot has moved on in 43 years. I suggest you take off those 1960's spectacles and stop dwelling on the past.

Welcome to the real world.

- Nowan King, London, 21/10/2009 14:44
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What happened to innocent until proven guilty?? Any of you people clamouring here for Mr Morbin's instant dismissal and/or suspension without pay should remember that one day you might be accused of something and expect a fair trial. Also, I am intrigued by the people who claim to have experienced more than one instance of rude behaviour by LU staff. I have been using the tube almost daily since 1966 and can probably count on one hand the number of times in an entire year I would have cause to speak to a member of staff, outside of buying tickets, and can't recall anyone ever being rude to me. It does make me wonder what you are doing or saying to elicit all this perceived rudeness..

- M Farbiash, Highgate, 21/10/2009 13:17
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If they can't sack him, surely they can downgrade his post to doing something really menial and most of all away from the travelling public?

- Jack, London, 21/10/2009 13:04
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So this is why i am going to have pay more for my travel come New Year so that Ian Morbin can sit at home being paid for verbally abusing passengers.Sack this guy now.The evidence is ther.Having worked at British Airways as a Customer Services agent for 10 years.If i had spoken to a customer i would have been sacked after a quick industrail relations procedure.
I have been on the receiving end of abuse from LU customer staff in the past.Despite getting the staff members name and witnesses and writing to LU the weak reply and no action being taken is only encouraging their staff to behave this way.
We constantly see posters telling us passengers will be arrested and charged for abusing staff why is not the csae when it is reversed.

- Ray Truss, Feltham, Middx, 21/10/2009 12:52
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I'm a little concerned with the people who think the Mayor should get involved in this incident.
Isn't this the same mayor who recently stormed out of an assembly meeting after using foul language because he didn't like the questions being asked to him?
I don't remember too many people asking for him to be sacked.

- Steve, Essex, 21/10/2009 11:10
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I am a business consultant from the USA who is temporarily in London and I am appalled at this video! No business should tolerate a rep threatening a customer let alone screaming at or calling a customer names (no matter how rude a customer was). The rep's threatening action is abuse. In the USA, we call this menancing or assault and it is both a crime and a civil tort.

Businesses must train customer representatives to be pleasant and assertive yet calm and, as a last resort, to call the police if they fear for their's, the customer's, or other customers' personal saftey. If a rep is easily frustrated or angered, he/she should not have a job dealing with the public. In addition, management should be supervising its employees routinely, either visually or via customer comment tools. This kind of behavior should never be allowed to continue unchecked as it leaves the business criminally and civilly at risk. Based on the comments from other customers this rep has abused, this is a pattern, not an aberration.

- Linda, NY, USA, 21/10/2009 10:51
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Appalling is the word for this sort of Customer Service, Is that what londoners are paying more to travel on underground to be threatened and abused by someone who doesnt have any respect for anybody? Is that London underground and Boris Johnson's new policy for a safer travel? This sort of person should be sacked straight away, not given him the taxpayers money to spend until cristmas by not working and stay at home, even after having a concrete evidence of the footage of his behaviour. Anyone in his job wouldnt mind to provide appalling customer service like Ian Morbin if they know they going to get free money and stay at home until cristmas.

- Shaz, London, 21/10/2009 10:10
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I don't agree that ian morbin should be sacked. Yes he was rude to the passnger so maybe a warning. I rate the elderly man for walking on regardless lol

- Len, london, 21/10/2009 05:03
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Paid Leave????????? Paid? this is insanity . Give him the boot!

- Bernard Ex Pat, Myrtle Beach SC USA, 21/10/2009 04:56
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Whilst not condoning this station assistant's behaviour, it needs to be put in the context of a transport system where patience and good manners from those who use it are often sadly lacking: This creates an inherently stressful environment, and staff working in this environment regularly have to cope with rudeness and impatientness from the travelling public, many but not all of whom, look down their noses at tube workers, whether they provide them with good customer service or not. Given this work environment it is unsurprising that sometimes some tube workers lose their patience.

- Oliver, Barnet, England, 21/10/2009 00:52
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LOL i was there and i remember how he was shouting people were getting scared

- Maz, London, 21/10/2009 00:48
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What is the most interesting about this are the comments to this article. With respect, (I'm genuinely not looking for an argument here, just trying to point something out) with some exceptions on both sides of the arguement, the comments appear to be simply a quick rant without looking at the causes of this kind of thing.
In the free copy of the Standard that I picked up tonight (but not the on-line one) it mentions that Ian Morbin often threatens to call the police for what are indicated to be normal customer complaints or people standing up to him. It matters not whether this particular case is as clear as is made out or not (I've seen both LU staff and passengers being equally rude in the past). What matters is that we have now reached a point when a significant number of people believe that if the police were called they would simply decide against the passenger; irregardless of the facts. Whether this would be the case or not is beside the point. What matters is that many decent people believe this. There is much similarity with this case and with people not calling the police when they witness a violent incident on the streets or when they themselves are attacked or threatened because they believe that justice will not be done. People have lost faith in the police and their ability to stand for what is right (this is probably more down to the back end of the justice system than the police themselves). Much is wrong and this is just an example.

- Tony Friar, Maidenhead, 21/10/2009 00:41
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When will people start to drop this insane pursuit of customer service and realize that people are in the end, human and will not always give you polite answers like a machine.

In my experience most things today are about money, more than ever it appears, and liability law is lucrative. The so called "good" and "upstanding citizens" of this world are not always what they are perceived to be. The 'cute' ones often stay quiet or walk away. As we can not hear what "the old git" has to say, or see his facial features for that matter, it is very hard to judge what was really going on, yet the public deem it perfectly acceptable to paint this man in a bad light already. Besides this man looks rather middle aged and in my opinion does not look like an elderly man, does his back body posture suggest this? It is very much his word against the workers and would be completely unfair not to have a trial.

Let's all of us step into reality for a change and look at the world we live in, we all strive for power and domination against each other just like something out of an 1890's literature essay instead of using common sense and looking at why perhaps people do these things we jump on the bandwagon.

We live in an absurd world.

- Michael Camusesque, London, 21/10/2009 00:26
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Recently a friend (elderly) asked an employee where she could get help with her case as she was having difficulty getting it on and off trains and was told there is no help in a very rude manner, she told him she hopes his Mother gets the kind of response he dishes out. What ever happened to decent attitudes and manners and indeed respect for the aged. Manners and a smile are the closest distant between people and costs nil. This man is being given paid leave whilst it is clear what he does (and did) Surely he should simply be dismissed immediately. There is plenty of evidence.

- Margaret Shaw, Brentford UK, 20/10/2009 23:53
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He should be nicked for threatening behaviour.
Won't happen cause the police these days only go for easy nicks, anything involving an investigation or a bit of work and they can't be bothered.
Pity the elderly gentleman wasn't wearing a turban,the LUL employee would have been in court already.

- Simon, london, 20/10/2009 23:50
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I almost feel sorry for Ian Morbin, wannabe jedi. And then I read about all the other passengers who have had bad experiences with this man. He must now be, rightly or wrongly, the most hated man in London (or maybe that would be Gordon Brown).
If he was a real jedi, his behaviour would be far better than the comments and video evidence shows.
I only hope that the inquiry into what happened, and his whole overall behaviour and attitude, will get to the truth of the matter, and that Ian Morbin will be properly dealt with. Otherwise he might get his light saber out and cause some real unintentional humour.

- David King, London, UK, 20/10/2009 23:25
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What has Bob Crowe got to do with any of this ? Mr Morbin is not a member of RMT, if you bother to read the header properly it clearly states that the TU involved is TSSA ! And as for those cretins here posting about what they would like to do to Ian Morbin, well, that makes you as bad, if not worse !

- Joseph Poole, London, 20/10/2009 22:47
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What a lovely Christmas present! Holidays till Christmas. Time to shop, visit and spend one's pay!! What would one have to do to earn a paid holiday till next summer?

- N. Waters, Mississauga, Canada, 20/10/2009 22:38
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Why does it take so long ? Because this is the 21st Century and there is no such thing as 'Instant Dismissal' , and neither should there be , let the enquiry run it's course , justice (whatever it be ) will prevail in the end .

- Robert Bayford, London, 20/10/2009 22:34
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It is blatantly obvious for all to see that the "little old man" is not remonstrating graphically with Ian Mobin as he shuffles on to the train but much more likely making a strong observation. People have to take responsibility for their own actions in this life and judging by the reaction of many other members of the public coming forward with graphic accounts of his past disgusting behaviour it appears he will get his due comeuppance. Really can't believe Philip earlier when he says calling the 'little old man' a git is really not the end of the world. All I can say is I seriously wonder about people’s morals and standards with comments like that as no way can that be considered in any way acceptable. If he is not sacked at the end of this standard disciplinary procedure for gross misconduct then I will personally lobby Boris Johnson and create a petition which I'm sure would be signed by many tens, if not hundreds of thousands of sensible Londoners!

- Malcolm, London - UK, 20/10/2009 22:19
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Wow. What a mess. The comments on here are quite unbelievable. How can anyone defend Ian Morbin? There can be absolutely no excuse for his behaviour. There is clear evidence of Gross Misconduct and he should be sacked immediately.
If that means his co-workers take strike action so be it. If they can defend this sort of behaviour then they represent all that is wrong in this country.
Brave trades unionists fought long and hard to win rights for workers - but not to defend this kind of yob. His co-workers should demand his dismissal for all the negative attention he has brought them.
LUT is a fantastic public service but when it is at fault it HAS TO hold up its hands. This man - and all his ilk - should be removed as soon as they are identified. There are plenty of nice people looking for jobs. Get them in.

- Jim, London,UK., 20/10/2009 20:52
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sack him! there are lots of unemployed people who can take over his job...

- Marks,, london, 20/10/2009 20:30
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Right now let’s say my bit. I work for LUL at some of the most hectic stations if all you EX CAS's from other sectors of the public/privet ever worked for anytime on any station you would encounter some of London’s finest people who name call spit punch threaten poke and some times sexually assault. If you can last 6 Mounts of extreme shifts and this kind of rubbish with out loosing your rag then you can talk about the JOB and who needs to be sacked. As for these jokers who r putting suspect fuel on the fire I ask what did you do to him before there r 2 sides to every story.

One last thing these peeps who think they can film and photo staff at work be aware you’re committing a criminal act doing so. I rember some ill informed law student filming me and was putting said camera point blank in my face and was shocked when I knocked said phone from his hands then called BTP. The joke was on him when he was ordered to delete the footage or face arrest. Oh then there was the instant £80 public order fine he had to pay and he missed his last train to LIVERPOOL. All this because I asked him quite publicly on the PA to stop relieving himself over one of the benches.
This will be so funny if it bites some of the media in the ass as you should know better.

On a final note those who are jealous of our strong union can poke it if you had a organisation ready to fight for you would love it up. Mind you what can you expect of evening STD readers.

- John The Freak, London, 20/10/2009 20:11
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I agree with Ian, there is two sides of the story and Ian has not been allowed to share his side.
I do not in any way say that him swearing on a packed platform like that is acceptable. There could have been kids on that platform.

What I don't understand is why it's taking tfl so long.
Surely, you need to interview the person invovled, check cctv and then follow whatever procedures to be followed... I can't imagine it taking longer than a month.

- Josh, London, 20/10/2009 20:02
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The employee is of course entitled to natural justice, but eight weeks to investigate the matter?

Were the individual found to be guilty of gross misconduct, he would then have received eight weeks pay for sittting at home.

It would be interesting to hear Mr Crowe's views

- John C, Leatherhead, UK, 20/10/2009 19:47
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I don't know why everyone is so surprised about this. There are lots of miserable tube workers who are out of order.

- Tom, soho, 20/10/2009 19:13
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I think we have to get this situation into some kind of perspective. Yes, Morbin was out of order; Yes LU, staff face much worse physical and verbal abuse on an hourly basis; No, the RMT aren't going to go on 'strike' over this issue; Yes, the general public can be a pain - ask anyone (apart from the 'saints' on this blogs) who has to deal with them on a regular basis, not just LU staff.
BUT, I think for the guy to lose his job and career is overstating the issue. He should be 'warned' regarding his behaviour in this particular scenario and shifted away from a busy station such as Holborn. He needs watching by a supervisor who will not tolerate his behavioural 'excesses'.
The guy obviously has energy which could be used for good if channeled correctly and we all have started that debate by the observation of him channelling his energy in a less wholesome direction.
Give him a chance - we on LU have learned from his error (yes, I'm a driver on the District)- it will benefit YOU, the travelling public, in the long run.

- Catsdad, London, 20/10/2009 18:46
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Um, some of you fail to realise that Bob Crow is the General Secretary of the RMT. Mr Morbin is a member of TSSA. So theres no point bringing Bob Crow or the RMT in to this as its got nothing to do with them.
I work for London Underground. I've been shouted at, called names and spat at afew times. Obviously I'm not saying that the "The Little Old Man" did any of these things, and yes what Mr Morbin did was quite extreme, but in my experience it works both ways. There is No Way that this "Little Old Man" is completely Innocent.
I will admit that Mr Morbin should be Disiplined, but getting sacked is again extreme.

- Daniel, London, 20/10/2009 18:40
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Okay I know this was not appropriate behaviour to have but he must have his reasons. I think living and working in London and dealing with the public can bring the most placid person to become irradiated. I'm sure tube staff have to put up with so much and sometimes it's just too much. Yes he was in the wrong to react like that but I don't know if sacking him is the answer. Maybe helping him as to why first and go from there.

- Michelle, North London., 20/10/2009 18:36
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The funny thing about all this is how passenger power can manifest itself by filming the encounter and putting it on YouTube. Yet at the same time, people moan and complain about the number of CCTV cameras turning the nation into a Big Brother state. I guess it depends on who's pointing the camera. Personally I think it's great that the police assault at the G20 protests get shown up by someone filming on their mobile phone; otherwise the perpetrators can just deny, deny, deny...

- Clive Morris, London, 20/10/2009 18:22
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Like Ian Morbin,i also work for London Underground and although i can't defend his behaviour, so far this year i've been assaulted once, spat at twice and lost count at how mant times i've been verbally assaulted. Amazingly there's never been a member of the public around to record this on his phone.

- Steve, Essex, 20/10/2009 18:07
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As has been reported, the guy is not a member of the RMT. They won't be balloting for strike action over this, so all the rubbish that usually spews forth about the right to strike etc can stop.

The member of staff completely lost it, however, as with any job, the investigation has to look at all the evidence, so that whatever decision is taken can be seen to be fair. This then prevents any legal challenge and any industrial action.

Appalling as this incident was, the filming could easily have been set up - although I'm not suggesting it was in this instance. Now this has been so publicly aired a couple of mates could easily provoke an altercation with an employee and film it in such a way. If people are going to be sacked on the basis of that evidence alone and we're happy with it, then we're all at risk of saboteurs.

Let the proceedure follow it's course. It's the same principle as a criminal court - innocent until proven guilty, so of course he's going to get paid.

By the by - we've not heard anyhting from the 'abused' guy. Maybe he wasn't so proud of his actions prior to the camera being switched on....

- Nick, London, 20/10/2009 17:42
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This Chap is really letting the side down,I have had nothing but good service when I have had to speak to Underground Staff,and I have been around for 72 years.

- Davey_Bouy, Chertsey UK, 20/10/2009 17:29
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I too work for the underground and have been verbally and physically abused by members of the public It doesn't matter what age sex or race they are it is not acceptable. I ask all these people jumping on the bandwagon, have you ever had a bad day I am not saying Ian was right to behave the way he did but i will ask how many of you think you should have the right to work in a safe environment. Well so do I but in the underground our rights are not protected we do not work in a safe environment. Ask LU to publish figures on sickness due to assaults on staff and as for Mark Meyer and Warren peaces comments it just confirms the sort of low lifes we have to put up with. I say there is no smoke without fire, What did this so called old man say or do to the female member of staff that made Ian come to her defence. Ok we can all accept rudeness from customers, but when the customer becomes personal and verbally or physically aggressive then to me they have crossed the line. I was always taught to treat people how you would like to be treated and treat them how they treat me. Well if you can't take it don't give it.

- Anonymous, Herts, 20/10/2009 17:24
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I have worked for LUL for over 12 years on stations and experience rudeness on an almost daily basis, most recently one individual suggested I perform rather personal activities on my deceased Grandmothers corpse using rather colourful language. My response; I thanked him for his suggestion, and bade him a good day. Probably not quite the response he was anticipating. The vast majority of LUL staff are friendly, polite and helpful, when people are abusive to me I just remind myself that they are targetting the uniform and not me personally. I always endeavour to me polite and never to respond in kind to abusive behaviour. It's worked for me so far as no one has complained about me yet and I have had a few commendations as well.

- Alexander, London, 20/10/2009 17:21
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Morbin is definitely in the mode of the rude, greedy, ignorant Bob Crow.What nasty,cruel faces both these men have. Big chips on their shoulders methinks!By the way get that 70's hair re-styled Morbin it's really sad!

- Laura, Epsom, 20/10/2009 17:15
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Whilst I think the verbal tirade is nothing short of reprehensible, a few things need to be kept in mind.

Firstly, how many times did Morbin have to tell the elderly chap to make his complaint on the correct side of the yellow line? I would usually only use the sentence "There is a train approaching" two or maybe three times before an expletive appeared in the sentence somewhere.

Secondly, I wonder exactly what the chap who filmed this is trying to achieve. He's apparently made a complaint to TFL himself, and has even gone on TV to give interviews. He's also come out and said "So we have staff threatening to throw passengers under trains and, in return, prices going up".

Morbin didn't threaten to throw him under a train, it was said off camera and not to the guy's face, akin to swearing at the person you've just put the phone down to.

If you look at the facts of the case, a tube train terminated prematurely and all passengers were told to alight the train. Apparently the old boy was "slow to get off in the mad rush" and got his arm stuck. I'm sure the tube workers had already had a few earfuls from the passengers who got off the train earlier.

The fact that the elderly chap was stood over the yellow line, despite having received numerous warnings, constitutes a breach of safety procedures and, I believe (though may be wrong - perhaps a TFL employee can confirm) that this would justify an employee to refuse the gentleman the right to travel?

- Kc, Upminster, 20/10/2009 17:11
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Why does it take so long - surely its indefensible to talk/abuse customers in this way and it takes minutes to watch the video evidence - only Broon normally dithers this long!

- David, soton, 20/10/2009 16:27
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"Mind The Gap" (between LU and common-sense).

- Philip, London, England, 20/10/2009 16:11
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Please could we allow London Underground to investigate this incident in a measured and proportionate way.

Ian's behaviour was not appropriate, however we don't have his side of the story, and we don't know what the "little old man" said and did which caused the reaction. Experience shows such men are not always the most well behaved in society.

I think we need to keep a sense of proportion. Ian's behaviour was not appropriate, but calling an old man a little git is really not the end of the world. We need to keep a sense of proportion here.

I would also question the motives of Jonathan MacDonald. Jonathan - what are you trying to achieve by this?

- Ian Murray, London, 20/10/2009 16:03
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I absolutely don't agree with him being suspended on full pay.

I don't think we should generalize Tube staff because of this one case.
There is always a few individuals that have to make the rest look bad.
Ie, the Met police, the case with G20 was showing the worse of the Met, but Im sure there are people out there that have had a great experience with them when they were in need.
Tfl staff, granted there are rude people on the job, but there also rude passengers. I've in general have had more helpful staff than rude ones.
Teenage mums, some of them are on benefits of the tax payers and popping kids out every year so they won't have to go back to work when the youngest is older than seven. But there are also teenage mums out there that do a better job of raising their kids than some older mums.

My point is that in every category there will always be a few bad ones which make the rest really bad.

- Josh, London, 20/10/2009 15:47
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While not condoning the tube workers slinging under the train coments I can understand his predicament as I too work for the underground and experience rudenesss as well as the odd racist comment now and again on a daily basis. The problem is we live in a society where manners and politeness no longer mean anything and we wonder why the younger generation behave the way they do,most of the general publics opinion is "they are our public servants we pay their wages so they take whatever we dish out" how do I know this? because I've been told this on more than one occasion so to alll the hypocritical sheep that want to all of a sudden jump on the bandwagon and talk about how you now avoid the station because of intimidation by staff get a life most of you with a lot to say wouldn't last 2 minuits on a late Saturday night shift.

- Lewis, London, 20/10/2009 15:27
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I've seen him at work and he's abrupt and grouchy at the best of times. "Customer services assistant" ?! whoever thought he'd be suitable in this position is a pretty bad judge of character and ought to be hauled over the coals too. I'd love this Morbin plonker to try and talk to me like that.
Sack him now.

- Matt, London UK, 20/10/2009 15:20
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- Dk, bd, essex - theres appears to be only one 'eejit' ( wow, how cool is that spelling) and that is you. Yes I have put the phone down after a conversation and swore about the person I was speaking to but the clear difference here is that we do it away from the person NOT in their faces, in front of everyone. Not too hard to understand is it poppet?

- Rob, London, 20/10/2009 15:13
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£24,000 a year? I think there'd be a long queue for this job in the current market where there's hardly anything out there and what little is available is at minimum wage i.e. just over £10,000 a year.

Let's get rid of all the other bad apples as well.

- Stephen C, London, 20/10/2009 14:59
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Dk Essex, elderly man has arm trapped in train door become's argumentative??????, how did you come up with that ?.

- Christine, hamilton Canada, 20/10/2009 14:41
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"Hey Crow, why aren't you and your over paid lazy rude members not out on strike yet?"

Frank Home Counties, your ignorance astounds me...in fact every comment I have read from you about the transport system, shows all the hallmarks of an ignorant and utterly foul mannered commuter!

- Anonymous, London, 20/10/2009 14:26
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I can totally sympathise with the passenger. Both my husband and I were victims of abuse from members of staff on the underground. I have found staff to be patronising and when I have stood up for myself, have been accused of abusing the staff! Asking for their names to complain is an absolute minefield - when staff have found out I was to complain about their behaviour, I have been intimidated by further shouting and abuse, and threatening remarks about what I was going to complain about! And even when I did eventually complain, all that happened was an apology letter with a disclaimer saying they couldn't divulge any more information as to what has happened since the complaint due to employer-employee regulations etc. How is that you can't make complaints about poor customer service any more without being abused and shouted at?! You can't even ask these people questions without them biting back! TFL needs to get their act together! This is completely unacceptable.

- Jessica, London, 20/10/2009 14:16
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There is no excuse in this case. It is time to go.
Morbid Morbin must find the latter half of his name ASAP.

- Macdangler, Wimbledon SW19, 20/10/2009 14:12
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His behaviour is rude, bullying and intimidating. Please do not attempt to defend this.

It cannot be justified by stating that passengers are rude to us. This too is indefensible but two wrongs do not make a right. The police, the fire service and the NHS staff, who all have much more stressful jobs, are often treated extremely badly by some members of the public but they do not react in this way. Can you imagine the outcry if a Police Officer did this? I doubt any of you would be defending it. So, please explain why a member of London Underground can be defended for acting in such a way?

- Mikki, London, 20/10/2009 13:58
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I imagine that Bob Crow will push for Morbin to be given a bonus for an outstanding contribution to customer service, an immediate promotion and a knighthood in the New Year's honours list.

AS for Dk, bd, Essex - yes we all have bad days but it does not give one the right to act in a theatening and abusive fashion towards our clients/customers. The vast majority of us would rightly face disciplinary action and so should Morbin.

- Simon, Tooting, 20/10/2009 13:43
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Everyone has a bad day, its not exactly a 'customer service' job exactly, he's not trying to sell anything, he's an attendant dealing with an argumentative passenger who got caught having a bit of a moment

the amount of unscrupulous hypocritical twits in this country, I bet nearly everybody has put the phone down and instantly slated the person there, or has had tense moments when dealing with the public, why he should lose his job for a one off non-physical 2 minute incident from which the original fella hasn't (as far as I'm aware) even appeared to complain

it justs seems like the media abusing its facebook-group-making witchhunt instigation for the sake of striking a blow at LUG and RMT

all these people 'coming out' with stories of him, its like moths to a flame, they all want their limelight but its all a little convenient timing really

basically, the public are fact-ignorant eejits, get over yourselves..

- Dk, bd, essex, 20/10/2009 12:56
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John of London asks where you can find good customer service on the Underground? I will tell him: go to North Harrow station on the Metropolitan Line. The staff who work there each morning are the friendliest and most helpful I have ever found on the tube network.

- Jimmy, Hatch End, 20/10/2009 12:53
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EDITED by admin @ 8.52 on October 21 2009
Breach of community guidelines

- Mark Meyer, Maidenhead, England, 20/10/2009 12:52
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He won't be sacked! LU will just move him to an area where he won't have to deal with customers face to face. Of course, it'll be funny to be living down his street. Long pony tail, into the Jedi religion. Must stand out a mile. I'm sure he'll get his tuppance worth soon, even if its only from his neighbours.

- John, london, uk, 20/10/2009 12:42
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I too work for london underground and I am often given insulting gestures the public can always get away with what they want knowing if the member of staff stands their ground they maybe sacked

- Fc, tottenham london

No synmpathy FC - as a professional customer-serving member of staff, you're paid to deal with them in a professional, tactful manner without being rude. I worked in customer services for 10 years, and you just have to bite your tongue, swallow your pride, whatever it takes to put on a brave front in the public eye (as much as it hurts). If you can't handle general rudeness from the public, you're obviously in the wrong job.

- Nowan King, London, 20/10/2009 12:11
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What good thing might have come out of this is that LU might now be forced to look at there complaints procedure!I find a lot of underground staff rude,not all,and it does seem to be those who man the barriers more often than not are the offenders.I have been abused several times,it happened twice when i was recieveing chemo therapy and had a disabled pass,one guy manning the barrier used to make a comment when i went through the gates in a loud voice"o look hes not disabled"i let him get away with it once,but the second time he said that i made him wish he had never been born,i took him to the cleaners as did LU management to be fair,he could not see my 10cm tumour in my chest or the bandages on my arms,or the scar from my operation,he was a very ignorant man who made assumptions and then decided to persecute me for the assumptions HE had made.I was determined no body was going to do that to me.But i do think LU should look at there training methods and recruitment policy,abusive staff have no place in any company,let alone a company that deals with millions of people every day.

- Kev, London-UK, 20/10/2009 12:02
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I too work for london underground and I am often given insulting gestures the public can always get away with what they want knowing if the member of staff stands their ground they maybe sacked

- Fc, tottenham london, 20/10/2009 11:54
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David - Soton
Your response only serves to show the problem here. Had you bothered to think, you would realise I wrote in jest - but no, you couldn't wait for the opportunity to be rude to me - a person you had never met. One wonders how you would cope with the rudeness of Underground passengers, the majority of whom think Tube workers are something they sometimes get on their shoes.
I agree this cretin deserves the chop, but bear in mind how easy it was for you to be rude to me.

- Barry Chapman, Welwyn England, 20/10/2009 11:41
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The difficulty with the likes of Morbin - and, it seems, Barry Chapman - is their inherent insecurity and inadequacy which they feel they have the need to manifest in crass and apparent psychopathic behaviour. There are good and bad people in all walks of life, but this person Morbin must be removed from his job permanently so as not to reflect adversely on those LUL staff who do do a good job.

- Pandora, london, 20/10/2009 11:39
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Can just see it now ... He gets sacked and there will be an all out strike on the underground till he is reinstated! Sound familar!

- Max O'Donnell, Dublin Co. Eire, 20/10/2009 11:35
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Has it crossed any of your tiny minds that the more you bleat about this man's behaviour, the more likely that if he does get sacked he'll have grounds for an appeal and get reinstated in the job because he'll be able to prove his sacking was influenced by the media?

- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx, 20/10/2009 11:23
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Anyone know which station he regularly works at? Let me know. If he gets back to work, I'll go round and give the obnoxious jedi-creep a good verbal sorting out, and let him threaten me with police action!

EDITED by admin @ 8.52 on October 21 2009
Breach of community guidelines

- Warren Peace, London, 20/10/2009 11:19
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Of course they won´t sack him. They´re all in it together, you see. The Union will bitch about it and the Tube people will succumb. I hope I´m wrong.

- Jaime, Madrid, Spain, 20/10/2009 11:14
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Considering that many, if not most, of the tube staff are cheerful and helpful in the face of some pretty poor behaviour from the travelling public, it says more about the management and probably employment legislation that this man was not dealt with effectively earlier.

- Peter Haldane, Chelmsford, 20/10/2009 11:05
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How can a moron like this be allowed to behave so badly for so long? London Underground's management appears to be totally inadequate not to have picked this problem up earlier& dealt with it.

No doubt Bob Crow of the RMT Union will be keen to offer him a job; Ian Morbin appears to have all the right credentials to work for the RMT.

- Mark Myword, London, 20/10/2009 11:02
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Hey Crow, why aren't you and your over paid lazy rude members not out on strike yet?

- Frank, Home Counties, England., 20/10/2009 11:02
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Well I hope Management follows the correct procedures before sacking him because of this witch hunt!
Maybe this guy is blatantly rude, but some passengers are not innocent angels…I have seen passengers been more offensive on public transport.

- Janice, London, 20/10/2009 10:43
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Barry - your parents would be so proud! Disgraceful and indicative of what's wrong with Broken Britain - pride in rudeness! - only in the UK. I bet you went far in LUL

- David, soton, 20/10/2009 10:25
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I'd love to know if anyone else has come across either this man or anyone else on the tube who has given this level of 'customer service'. And while we're at it, 'good' customer service anywhere else for that matter.

- John, london, uk, 20/10/2009 10:23
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The reason why people don't generally complain is that they know fine well the complaint will be dismissed and by inference the complainer made to feel like a liar.

The problem with underground staff is widespread. Emboldened by Bob Crow's 'anti-public' attitude this has embued transport workers with a sense of invincibility and feeling they can 'get away with anything' and still keep their jobs or better still suspended on full pay indefinately. Game of Squash anyone ?

- Hansel, London, 20/10/2009 09:57
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Trouble is, TFL sacks the guy and then the union calls the "brothers" out on strike for his reinstatement! Comic.

- Commuter, London, 20/10/2009 09:53
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It is astonishing that only the publication in the national press of this individual's behaviour, supported by photographic evidence and his own admissions, that has lead to any action being taken by his employer. Had this case not been publicised nationally, would any steps have been taken to discipline him? Clearly a little discipline is what he needs.

- Garga, Singapore, 20/10/2009 09:53
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Of course if LUL do sack him, Bob Crow will bring all the rest of the staff out on strike to get him reinstated.

- Roy, England, 20/10/2009 09:37
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No doubt members of the RMT will have a ballot so they can come out in support of Morbin. This is proof of what most Londoners already know - there is little or no customer service ethic on our Tube network and this is I suspect only reinforced by the fact that to try and sack someone leads to collective punishment for London at the hands of Mr Crow and his tiny membership.

- Christian Ball, London, UK, 20/10/2009 09:34
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Full pay, why? Does he deserve it? Isn't Boris Johnson trying to cut costs?

- Vivian, London, 20/10/2009 09:34
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I resent this. I worked for London Underground, and although I never had any contact with the passengers, I can proudly state that I was far ruder than him

- Barry Chapman, Welwyn England, 20/10/2009 09:13
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