Militant Tube drivers to bring London to a standstill tomorrow because they  DON’T want a four-day week and an extra 35 days off each year 

Fresh strikes by London Underground drivers will cause chaos this week after failed talks with union bosses confirmed they will resume from tomorrow.

Militant members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union have voted against plans to introduce a four-day peak working week for tube drivers.

The company’s far-left boss, Eddie Dempsey, claims the plan could increase fatigue and compromise safety. But Transport for London (TfL) insisted the changes were voluntary and described the strikes as ‘absolutely unnecessary’.

Now, despite agreeing to a three-year pay deal as recently as last November, the RMT has decided on a work stoppage of train drivers from tomorrow to Friday.

Train drivers’ union Aslef has agreed to changes that will reduce the average drivers’ working week from 36 hours to 35 hours.

There will be no service on the Circle line between Baker Street and Aldgate, the Piccadilly line, the Metropolitan line and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.

Two 24-hour strikes will be held tomorrow from 12:00 until Wednesday and again at the same time from Thursday to Friday.

Mr Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT, is a former union member who still lives in a council house despite now earning more than £100,000 a year.

Shortly after his election last year, it was revealed that Vladimir Putin had visited Ukraine’s separatist Donbas region in 2015, shortly after his first invasion of the country.

There he posed for a photo with pro-Putin warlord Alexei Mozgovoy, commander of the ‘Ghost Brigade’ of pro-Russian separatists branded a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the Ukrainian Supreme Court.

During a 2014 rant, he called on hard-left activists to support pro-Putin “anti-fascist resistance” in Ukraine against “Western governments supporting the far-right regime in Kiev.”

Mr Dempsey also signed a letter from the infamous Stop the War coalition criticizing NATO for ‘underestimating Russia’s concerns’ in Ukraine at the start of the war.

An RMT spokesman had previously said the union ‘does not support Vladimir Putin or his actions in Ukraine’ and Mr Dempsey said he ‘fully agreed’ with the union’s position.

RMT Union president Dempsey visits Alexander Mozgovoy, paramilitary leader of pro-Russian militias during the war in eastern Ukraine

Hundreds of thousands of commuters will have to walk, cycle or take the bus to commute, causing chaos on London’s streets.

Businesses will also be hit hard, as was the case with last month’s cylinder strikes, which were supported by Zack Polanski’s Green Party.

Pub chains previously reported one of their ‘lowest trading days ever’ and hospitality companies were told bookings could fall by up to two-thirds.

Train drivers are all rejecting the objection to the voluntary four-day week, which TfL says is ‘designed to improve work-life balance’, and will return to work as normal.

The Aslef train drivers union directly opposed the RMT and accepted the proposals, describing them as ‘exactly the kind of deal every union should be trying to achieve’.

The union pointed out that the proposal would give drivers an extra 35 days of leave a year.in exchange for some fairly minor changes in working conditions’.

A spokesman for Aslef said: “This will be the first strike in the history of the trade union movement designed to prevent people from having shorter working weeks and more leave time.” BBC.

TfL chief operating officer Claire Mann said: ‘It is disappointing that the RMT are planning this strike action despite our best efforts to resolve this dispute.

‘We have made it clear that our offers for the four-day week are designed to improve work-life balance and are entirely voluntary.

‘Any tube riders who do not wish to participate in the new, four-day working arrangement and the resulting changes to their working arrangements can continue with the five-day working arrangement.

‘We have also said many times in discussions that we believe that many of the issues raised will be resolved with further detailed work.’

TfL publishes schedule of disruptions expected on the tube this week

Hundreds of thousands of commuters will be forced to walk, cycle or take the bus to work as chaos ensues on London’s streets

He said a significant number of riders on the Bakerloo line supported the four-day week and urged RMT to work with transport providers to warn passengers to allow plenty of extra time for their journeys.

Eddie Dempsey said today: ‘We have approached negotiations with TfL in good faith throughout this entire process.

‘But despite our best efforts, TfL appear unwilling to make any concessions to prevent strike action. This was extremely disappointing and surprised our negotiators.

‘TfL’s approach is not one that will lead to industrial peace and will infuriate our members who want to see a negotiated solution to this avoidable dispute.’