When Tube employees go on strike for seven days next month, commuters are bracing for transport disruption.
In a disagreement over wages and working conditions, London Underground employees will go on strike several times next month, according to the RMT union.
The workers will start the week-long strike on Friday, September 5.
The union said that rail bosses ‘refused to engage seriously’ with their demands on pay as well as concerns about fatigue management and ‘extreme shift patterns’.
Additionally, underground workers were calling for a shorter workweek and the observance of prior agreements with employees.
An RMT spokesperson said: ‘Management’s dismissive approach has fuelled widespread anger and distrust among the workforce, who voted in overwhelming numbers to take strike action.’
During this time, workers on the Docklands Light Railway will also go on strike in a separate dispute over wages and working conditions.
The union stated that the action would cause ‘significant disruption to the capital’s transport network’.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: ‘Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.
‘They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.
‘Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
‘RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.’
A Transport for London spokesperson said: ‘We regularly meet with our trade unions to discuss any concerns that they may have, and we recently met with the RMT to discuss some specific points.
‘We are committed to ensuring our colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4 per cent pay increase in our ongoing pay discussions, we have made progress on a number of commitments we have made previously.
‘We welcome further engagement with our unions about fatigue and rostering across London Underground, but a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.
‘Given the improvements we have recently put in place in response to concerns raised by our unions, we urge the RMT to put our fair, affordable pay offer to their members and to continue to engage with us rather than threaten strike action, which will only disrupt Londoners.’
Various rail network segments will go on strike at various times during the strikes.
On Friday, September 5 and Saturday, 6, managers at Ruislip depot are set to strike over pay, in a separate walkout to the main dispute. The Central Line is likely to be affected.
On Sunday, 7, track access controllers, power control, and Emergency Response Unit (ERU) workers will refuse to work. This is likely to cause lengthy delays in the case of any incidents and could impact all Tube lines.
On Monday, 8 and Wednesday, 10, the majority of engineers and station workers will walk out, which will probably lead to stations closing due to a lack of staff and fewer trains available on the grid.
While on Tuesday, 9 and Thursday, 11, signalers, service control and ERU members will strike. This is likely to cancel most of the services as trains are not able to safely operate without signalling staff.
Muniya Barua, Deputy Chief Executive at BusinessLDN, said: ‘It’s extremely concerning to hear that the capital is set to be disrupted by strikes yet again, just as schools reopen and Londoners head back to work after the summer break.
‘This industrial action will hit already sluggish economic growth, particularly in sectors like hospitality and retail that are struggling due to hikes in employment costs. We urge all sides to work together to avoid a damaging scenario where the city grinds to a halt.’
These people are already well overpaid for the job that they do.
Perhaps we should all go on strike, against Rachel Reeves and her mad taxes or Starmer and his Labour loons?
These people want more pay and less work, but our government will cave in and give them whatever they demand.
It’s no surprise, though. First junior doctors, now the underground. Wait for it, while the rest follow like teachers and civil servants. They all know how weak our government is, and they’ll continue this until our government slit its own throat.
Name your price drivers! Our government will give it to you, and we taxpayers will cover it. It seems the norm these days. And if there’s a tax to consider, our government will levy it.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 