Transport for London (TfL) is warning that there will be a very limited or no service on the entire London Underground this coming Thursday (10th Nov) due to strike action.
Due to the strike by the RMT and Unite unions, London Overground and DLR services could also be subject to last-minute changes, including non-stopping at some stations shared with London Underground. In addition, London Trams will be running a reduced timetable.
The Elizabeth line is not affected by the strike and will run a normal service, and buses will also be running normally, but both are likely to be busier than usual.
Although the all-day strike will take place on Thursday, there’s likely to be disruptions on Friday morning as well, with services unlikely to return to normal until mid-morning.
Glynn Barton, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “I would like to apologise to our customers for any disruption caused by Thursday’s industrial action. We met with the RMT and Unite this week to urge them to call off this Tube strike as no proposals to change pensions or conditions have been made. Unfortunately, no agreement could be reached but we remain open for discussions as there is still time for the unions to call off this action.”
For their part, the RMT says that they asked TfL to suspend plans to reduce the workforce by 600 staff by not replacing staff who leave, and also make a statement that pensions won’t be changed. The difficulty with that stance is that the funding settlement with the government means that it’s the government making the decision about what changes may be put out to consultation, so TfL simply isn’t in a position to issue such a statement.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “TfL have missed a golden opportunity to make progress in these negotiations and avoid strike action on Thursday. Our members are resolute in their determination to see a just settlement to this jobs and pensions dispute. And they will continue their industrial campaign for as long as it takes.”
