Five lines on the London Underground will be hit by a large walkout by RMT drivers this weekend as part of an ongoing dispute over the Night Tube staffing rosters.
Unless it’s called off at the last minute, the tube strike on Saturday 18th December will affect the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines all day with little or no service in places. It is also likely to mean much busier services on the Tube lines that are not affected by the strike (Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan) as customers seek alternative routes. Buses through central London, and national rail services into the capital are also expected to be busier than normal all day.
The strike affects Tube drivers only and stations remain fully staffed throughout the action.
Night Tube services on the Central and Victoria lines are also set to be disrupted from 7pm by planned RMT strike action on the evening of Friday 17th December. During previous Night Tube strikes, TfL was able to run a full service on the Victoria line, with all expected drivers booking on, and a reliable service overnight from Ealing Broadway to Hainault on the Central line.
Talks between TfL and the RMT have been ongoing for months to settle the dispute, which is mainly over changes that saw part-time Night Tube drivers offered full-time jobs, and the two separate grades merged. This does mean that conventional tube shifts will include up to four night tube shifts per year — covering the time between 1:30am to 4:30am.
The RMT’s planned strike action is as follows:
- 20:30 17 December – 04:29 18 December (Central & Victoria)
- 04:30 18 December – 04:29 19 December (Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly & Victoria)
The restoration of the Night Overground between Highbury & Islington and New Cross Gate this weekend is not affected by strike action.
Sometimes I can’t tell if the RMT hates all Londoners or just young female Londoners!
Am I being a dolt and the chosen lines are linked by something like all RMT union drivers?
Or is the connection that they’re all the most central and most heavily used by Christmas shoppers?
It’s not like shops which make their best returns at this time of year aren’t worrying about the lockdown by any other name which presents itself at present. Whatever you think of the union’s concerns.
You’re being a dolt, I’m afraid – the lines affected are the Night Tube lines. The dispute is about TfL going back on the agreements it made when the Night Tube started, and forcing drivers to pick up Night Tube shifts – so it’s the drivers on those lines who were balloted, and are striking.
So all emergency workers do night shifts but ask tfl drivers to do one night every three months and they lose their marbles. So precious these tfl drivers.
Imagine if emergency workers went on strike during the pandemic, especially now.
What about all the bus drivers who keep London going.
Automate the tubes, like DLR, and then don’t need this princesses anymore.