Tube workers to strike over jobs, pensions and working conditions
Tube workers are to go on strike for two days next month over fears for jobs, pensions and working conditions, threatening widespread disruption across London.
The RMT union announced that its members on the tube would walk out on 1 and 3 March.
The union said it had had no assurances as Transport for London continues to look for ways to balance its finances after passenger numbers and revenue fell drastically during the pandemic, with central government refusing to confirm emergency funding will continue.
A ballot of more than 10,000 members resulted in 94% backing industrial action, although TfL said only about 50% of staff had voted.
Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, said: “Our members will be taking strike action next month because a financial crisis at London Underground (LUL) has been deliberately engineered by the government to drive a cuts agenda, which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.
“These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years. Staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.”
TfL said it would be open to talks and urged the RMT to “do the right thing for London and call off this unnecessary action”.
Andy Lord said the strike call was “extremely disappointing”. TfL’s chief operating officer said no proposals had been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody would lose their jobs.
He said: “The devastating impact of the pandemic on TfL finances has made a programme of change urgently necessary and we need the RMT to work with us, rather than disrupting London’s recovery.”
TfL has commissioned an independent review of staff pension arrangements, as a condition
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