Travel mayhem to hit Londoners as another union joins tube strike
Travel mayhem is expected to hit Londoners as members of the union Unite working for Transport for London (TfL) and London Underground are set to join the strike called by the RMT union for 21 June.
The union announced that more than 1,000 of its members will join the 10,000 workers striking over job cuts and the review of TfL’s pension scheme. Services could also be disrupted on 22 June due to shift patterns.
“It is not acceptable in any way, shape or form that the dedicated workers at TfL and London Underground are being told to pay the price of the pandemic with their pensions, pay cuts and threats to their jobs,” said Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham.
“These unwarranted threats to our members’ retirement savings, pay and jobs must be taken off the table at once or strike action will hit the London’s transport network.”
The walkout will coincide with the first of a three-day national railway strike called by the RMT after Network Rail axed 2,500 maintenance jobs.
The combination of the two strikes is set to create travel mayhem, bringing the capital to a standstill.
“Strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption across London but this is a direct result of TfL management’s repeated failure to offer guarantees on pensions, pay or job cuts,” added Unite’s regional officer Simon McCartney.
“Strike action and the resulting disruption can be avoided by TfL making a clear commitment it won’t cut workers’ pensions or jobs, while also making a cost of living pay rise to our members.”
Unite’s decision comes on the same day London Mayor Sadiq Khan asked the unions to get back to the negotiating table.
Khan urged the parties to work together with TfL, as the public body “has made clear that nobody has or will lose their jobs, and there are no proposed changes to pensions.”