Britain’s largest city has been plunged into transport disarray as Tube employees begin their first full-scale strike since 2023.
London Underground staff have begun striking this morning in an RMT-led dispute over pay and conditions, which will see the city’s major method of transport grind to a halt over the coming week.
The union had demanded that its workers receive an increase in money as well as a reduction in working time from 35 hours to 32 hours per week.
However, Transport for London (TfL), which has since tabled a 3.4 per cent pay rise offer to the union’s members, stated that reducing working hours would be both ‘unaffordable and impractical’.
Nick Dent, TfL’s director of customer operations for the Tube, issued a plea to the union to put an end to the strikes because of the chaos in travel.
He said on Friday: ‘We have met four times in the past two weeks and we would welcome further talks. It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members.’
But it looks like the union is moving full force forward with the strike, which has already caused several routes around the city to be disrupted.
While limited services are operating today, London’s Tube network is set to be shut down completely as of 6 pm this evening until about 8 am on Friday, September 12.
It will be the first time the underground’s entire grid has been closed since March 2023, a move led by then-RMT chief Mick Lynch.
Commuters had hoped a similar aversion would be deployed to that of last January, when Sadiq Khan used £30 million of Greater London Authority funds to stop Tube workers from striking.
However, as there is no apparent solution, concerns have been raised about the possible disruption the walkout may bring in the next week.
As Tube stations across the city lie desolate, staffers will be forced to pack onto buses, the London Overground and trams, with roads also predicted to be far busier than normal.
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services, which operate through east and southeast London, will also be stopped altogether on Tuesday and Thursday over a different dispute.
TfL has announced that alternative means of transport look set to be ‘extremely busy’ as commuters attempt to find a way into the city.
The expectation is that they will be so packed that certain routes may not even be able to stop at stations that are shared with the London Underground.
Announcing the strikes last month, RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said workers were ‘not after a ‘King’s ransom’.
He 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.’
They want more money for fewer hours, then of course, they get paid overtime for the hours they said they didn’t want to work in the first place.
They are an utter joke. Holding all of London to ransom out of pure greed.
Even if train drivers received a million pounds annually, they would still go on strike to demand more pay.
The reality is that they are always going to strike for any excuse whatsoever. It’s called ‘blackmail’ because they know that in the end, they will get what they want.
What magic money tree do these morons believe their pay rise is going to come from? Oh yes, of course, the British taxpayer.
Discontent, and it’s not even winter yet!
First strike since 2023 – you do realise that’s only 2 years ago – it’s not like it’s ancient history.
There is now Khanage in the capital, and Sadiq gets a knighthood for the mess that he’s caused. Let’s see the merry old Labour boys wiggle out of this one.
Workers on the TfL are already paid a good wage. They want more money, regardless of where it comes from, even though they are aware that the nation is in a dire financial situation. This is very inappropriate and blatantly selfish and greedy, and the unions are like an insidious virus, permeating the sheer fabric of this country.
And where is Sadiq Khan while this is all going on?
Unions are way too powerful, so well done Labour, you should pat yourselves on the back for ineptitude! And the leader of the RMT isn’t concerned about his members losing a week’s money because he still gets his wages.
And taxi companies will benefit greatly from people’s suffering as they struggle to get to work.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 