People are being advised to avoid London Underground Station today as Underground stations close across the capital due to strike action.
Thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are organizing a 24-hour walkout over a dispute over jobs and pensions.
Underground lines across the capital will be affected from the start of operation on Monday until 8am on Tuesday, with only some services operating, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Many stations will be closed, especially those in central and south London, and those that are open may only operate for a limited time.
While the DLR, London Overground and TfL trams are not affected, they are expected to be much busier.
Andy Lord, CEO of TfL, said: “I would like to apologize to London for the impact this strike has had on cruises.
“We know it will hurt London and the economy at a time when public transport is playing a vital role in the capital’s recovery.”
Why do workers strike?
TfL is working to achieve financial sustainability of its operations by April 2023, as required by previous funding arrangements with the government.
As part of that, TfL has proposed not hiring between 500 and 600 existing positions when they become vacant, which RMT says would constitute job losses.
The union argued that working arrangements would also be broken, and pensions at risk.
TfL has insisted no one will lose their jobs as a result of their proposals and there are no changes to pensions.
Secretary-General Mick Lynch wants a face-to-face meeting with Sadiq Khan to “resolve this mess”.
“It doesn’t help that our union continues to sit across from management representatives, who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate a settlement, when the power rests with the mayor,” he said. he added.
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Rail strike action ‘very likely’
With London inundated with visitors over the Jubilee weekend, a major driver for the capital’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic, there are concerns about the timing of strike action.
It goes first Possibility of the biggest rail attack in decadeswith RMT members nationwide voted to drop pay, mandatory redundancies, and safety concerns.
Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the strike was “extremely disappointing” and called on the union and TfL to “resolve their dispute”.
He continued: “Ultimately this will only harm London’s economy, and it’s time for TfL to settle their dispute with RMT, so we can get back to building prosperity and show the world that London is open for business.”
Transport Secretary had previously warned that any rail attack could cause a “heart attack”. for an industry that has been supporting life.
