The UK government has condemned strike action that is causing major disruption on London’s Underground network.
On Monday, the first working day after the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period, London’s transport network has suffered from severe disruption after 4,000 members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union who work at Tube stations started a 24-hour walkout.
Services have been suspended in some sections of the Tube network, as many stations, especially those in central and south London, are closed.
The Tube strike has also caused delays on London’s roads, affecting private cars, commercial vehicles, and buses.
Downing Street called the action “deeply disappointing” and urged Transport for London (TfL) to avoid further strikes.
“This sort of action is deeply disappointing and not what the public want to see, not what we want to see for businesses still trying to recover post-pandemic, people’s lives being disrupted in London,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said.
“Obviously industrial relations at TfL are a matter for TfL and the mayor but it’s clear that under the current funding settlement TfL must take all reasonable steps to avoid industrial action.”
The RMT is taking industrial action in a dispute over jobs and pensions.
As part of previous funding agreements, the government has required TfL to work towards achieving financial sustainability on its operations by April 2023.
TfL has proposed not recruiting into around 500 to 600 posts as they become vacant.
The RMT said that, under current proposals, working agreements will be torn up and a looming threat to pensions remains in place.
General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “We are demanding a direct face-to-face meeting with [London] Mayor Sadiq Khan to sort this mess out.
“There’s no point in our union continuing to sit opposite management representatives who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate a settlement, when the power lies with the mayor.”
Ahead of the strike, TfL advised people to only travel if necessary.
Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, apologised to Londoners for the impact of the strike.
“We know it’s going to be damaging to London and the economy, at a time when public transport is playing a crucial role in the capital’s recovery,” he said.
Richard Burge, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce, said he was “extremely disappointed” that the RMT had called for strike action immediately after the Jubilee weekend when London would be full of visitors.
He said the strike “will only harm London’s economy” and urged TfL to sort out the dispute with the RMT “so we can get back to building prosperity and showing the world that London is open for business.”
