People are being asked to avoid the London Underground today, as tube stations are closing all over the capital due to the strike.
Thousands of members of the Railway, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are leading a 24-hour march due to a dispute over jobs and pensions.
The capital’s Tube lines will be affected from the start of service on Monday until 8am on Tuesday, with only a few services in operation, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Many stations will be closed, especially in central and south London, and those that do open can only be open for limited periods.
While the DLR, London Overground and TfL trams are not affected, they are expected to be much busier.
Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: “I would like to apologize to London for the impact this strike will have on travel.
“We know it will be detrimental to London and the economy at a time when public transport plays a crucial role in the recovery of the capital.”
Why are workers on strike?
TfL is working to achieve the financial sustainability of its operations by April 2023, as required by previous funding agreements with the government.
As part of this, TfL has proposed not to hire between 500 and 600 existing jobs as they become vacant, which according to the RMT constitutes lost jobs.
The union argues that labor agreements will also be broken, and that pensions are at risk.
TfL has insisted that no one will lose their job as a result of their proposals and that there is no change in pensions.
Secretary-General Mick Lynch wants a face-to-face meeting with Sadiq Khan to “fix this mess.”
“It doesn’t make sense for our union to continue to be in front of management representatives who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate an agreement, when the power belongs to the mayor,” he added.
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10:48 Rail strike action “very likely”
As London has been flooded with visitors over the Jubilee weekend, a major boost for the capital’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic, there are concerns about the timing of the strike.
It is ahead of the possibility of the biggest rail strike in decades, with RMT members across the country voting to abandon pay, compulsory layoffs and security concerns.
Richard Burge, executive director of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the strike was “extremely disappointing” and called on the union and TfL to “fix their dispute”.
He continued: “Ultimately, this will only hurt London’s economy, and it is time for TfL to resolve its dispute with the RMT, so that we can rebuild prosperity and show the world that London is open to business.”
The Secretary of Transport has previously warned that any rail strike could lead to a “heart attack” on an industry that already has life support.