RMT Calls Eight Tube Driver Strikes Before and After Christmas
London Underground drivers in the RMT will strike eight times over 16 days from late November, including walkouts on 17 and 19 December.
London Underground faces a run of strikes that could leave few trains running on the last shopping weekend before Christmas. Drivers in the RMT union have called eight 24-hour walkouts over 16 days, in a dispute about a planned four-day week.
The strike dates
The first 24-hour strike begins at noon on 26 November. Six of the eight fall in the run-up to Christmas, including walkouts starting at noon on Thursday 17 December and again on Saturday 19 December. Two more are planned for early January, with further action in February.
Earlier strikes this year, in April and June, caused widespread disruption, though trains ran on most lines.
What the four-day week would change
Transport for London says the four-day week would be voluntary. The proposal has been warmly welcomed by most of the drivers represented by the Aslef union, and Aslef, the main drivers union, has fully endorsed the plans.
The RMT sees it differently. It says the scheme would "undermine existing agreements and worsen working conditions". It also says it has yet to receive guarantees that drivers can stay on their current five-day arrangements. It says the scheme would also make shifts less predictable.
The RMT's general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, said London Underground was attempting to "dress up a wholesale attack on drivers' working conditions" as a voluntary scheme. He said members would be asked to spend more time driving trains and to accept longer, more unpredictable shifts.
London Underground's response
Nick Dent, director of customer operations at London Underground, said managers had talked to unions for months. After union feedback, he said, drivers can now choose to stay on a five-day week and keep the same depot. He urged the RMT to put the proposal to its members.
Business groups called the news deeply concerning. Karim Fatehi, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said trade in the days leading up to Christmas is vital for thousands of businesses, and that hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive in London over the festive period. He urged the RMT to reconsider.
Source: the Guardian