London tube strikes to go ahead on Tuesday and Thursday, RMT says | London Underground
The RMT union has announced that strikes by drivers on the London Underground will continue next week, causing further disruption to transport.
Due to differences in the planned four-day week, there will be two 24-hour blackouts from 00.01 to 23.59 on Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4.
An RMT spokesman said: “Strike action by London Underground drivers is planned to continue next week after TfL refused to deal meaningfully with the union’s concerns about proposed compressed four-day working arrangements.
“Our members have expressed serious concerns about fatigue, longer shifts, reduced flexibility and the impact these proposals could have on a safety-critical role.”
Transport for London said services were expected on most tube lines during the strike, but told passengers to expect disruption. He added that other services such as the Elizabeth line, London Overground, DLR and trams would operate as planned but would be busier than usual.
TfL said its four-day week proposals would be trialled on a voluntary basis. His proposal was approved by the Aslef union, which represents a small majority of tube drivers.
TfL chief operating officer Claire Mann said she was disappointed that the RMT was continuing the strike.
“We still believe that the points they raise can be resolved over time through further discussions and we continue to meet with union representatives to find a way to avoid disruption to London,” he said.
He called on the RMT to work with TfL to resolve the dispute, adding: “A significant number of drivers have expressed interest in us moving forward with plans to pilot this new working model on the Bakerloo line, which will benefit both our colleagues and customers.”
The RMT’s opposition to London Underground’s plans for a voluntary four-day week has already led to industrial action, most recently in April.
Hopes were raised that differences between the two sides could soon be resolved after the RMT canceled a two-day strike planned for mid-May at the last minute.
But at the same time, the union postponed the strikes planned for June 16 and 18 to June 2 and 4, saying that the dispute was not over and that it was ready to go on more strikes if the two sides did not make sufficient progress.
The RMT said it was “prepared for meaningful discussions” with TfL but warned London Underground against implementing what it called changes to drivers’ working conditions while “refusing to properly address legitimate safety and workplace concerns”.
Previous waves of industrial action over the RMT’s four-day week proposals had not won much public sympathy and also surprised Aslef, who thought the proposal offered a significant improvement in tube drivers’ working conditions.
