London Underground services faced major disruption on Sunday as thousands of Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) workers began a series of strikes over pay and conditions. The walkouts will cause huge disruption for millions of travellers in the capital throughout the week.
Transport for London (TfL) warned there will be few or no services between Monday and Thursday, with different groups of workers walking out on different days. The action marks the first Tube-wide strike in three years, when workers previously protested over pay and pensions.
Pay dispute details
TfL has offered a 3.4% pay rise which it described as "fair" and said it cannot afford to meet the RMT's demand for a cut in the working week. Nick Dent, London Underground's director of customer operations, said union demands for a cut in the 35-hour week were "simply unaffordable" and would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.
The RMT rejected TfL's position, with a spokesperson stating: "This strike is going ahead because of the intransigent approach of TfL management and their refusal to even consider a small reduction in the working week in order to help reduce fatigue and the ill health affects of long-term shift work on our members."
The union argued: "We believe a shorter working week is fair and affordable, particularly when you consider TfL has a surplus of £166 million last year and a £10 billion annual operating budget." The RMT highlighted that there are 2,000 fewer staff working on London Underground since 2018, with members feeling "the strain of extreme shift patterns."
Travel impact
Dent warned the strike action "will be very damaging" for London Underground, noting this week's disruption will be different because separate groups of workers will walk out on different days. The RMT spokesperson emphasised: "We are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public."
Docklands Light Railway services will also be hit next Tuesday and Thursday because of a strike by RMT members in a separate pay dispute. This will compound travel difficulties across London's transport network.
Passengers have been urged to check before they travel, with Tubes that do run, as well as buses, expected to be busier than usual. The union said it remains "open to talks, securing a negotiated settlement and call on the Mayor of London to intervene."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
