Traffic strike: Travel more miserable as London Underground and bus staff begin latest walk | UK News
Workers on the London Underground are organizing a 24-hour jaunt about jobs and pensions.
Members of the RMT union are striking today, along with some of their Overground colleagues, shutting down large portions of the Tube network for the day.
Most buses across west and south-west London will also not run as Unite members have carried out industrial activities.
Read more: Who will strike in August and for how long?
The action is clamped between RMT strikes on Network Rail on Thursday and Saturday, as the standoff between the unions and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps deepens.
Transport workers have demanded inflation-matched wage increases, as well as job protection amid government proposals for cuts.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Tube bosses are in secret talks with the government about job cuts and undermining working conditions and pensions, all in the name of abolition. subsidize.
“This attack on government-led employees would be a disaster, as there is no comparable urban transport system in the world that would function without the financial support from the central government to ensure guarantee good and reliable services.
“The government needs to stop trying to get services cheap by cutting jobs and wages, and invest in a world-class transport network.”
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Lynch says strikes will continue
Passengers are being advised not to travel today.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Clearly strikes are not as powerful tools as they used to be and union leaders can no longer bring the country to a standstill because, unlike Like them, the world has changed and people are simply working from home.
“All of these strikes are hurting the people the unions claim to represent, many of whom will again be cashed out and forced to miss a day of work.
“We call on union bosses to do the right thing for their members and let them have a say in Network Rail’s very fair deal, which will bring about reforms that our rail system can’t afford. we’re in need. boards – the future of our railroads depends on it.”
Passengers using the national rail service today will no longer feel the hangover from Thursday’s strike, with the network having to catch the train to where they need to be before continuing on.
Only a fifth of trains run on Thursday, with many areas having no service running between them, and the same will happen on Saturday.
Read more:
RMT chief Mick Lynch says ‘we will continue until we reach a negotiated agreement’
Andy Lord, CEO of TfL, said: “I would like to apologize to our customers for the strike action being taken by RMT and Unite, which will have a significant impact on the transport network. of the city.
“I understand how frustrating these strikes are and I would like to remind RMT and Unite that it is not too late to work with us, Arriva Rail London and RATP (which operates London buses affected by the coronavirus). strike) to find a solution and avoid the massive disruption this action will cause to the journeys of people and the economy.”
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A spokesman for the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Discussions over TfL funding are ongoing with the government, but TfL has made it clear that no one has or will lose a job as a result of the proposals put forward. prior and all changes are subject to the full consultation of employees and unions at all times.
“Sadiq has also been clear that the government should not use TfL employee terms and conditions as a bargaining tool in funding negotiations.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will speak to Sky News at around 7am this morning.
