Further industrial action is set to disrupt London Underground services, with a union claiming bosses have refused to give assurances on jobs, pensions and working conditions.
Members of the RMT union have voted in favour of a strike and action short of a strike, with 94% of those who took part voting to walk out.
The union said that it would take “whatever action necessary” to ensure that staff do not pay the price for “a financial crisis that is not of their making”.
“A financial crisis at [London Underground] has been deliberately engineered by the government to drive a cuts agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten the working conditions and pensions of our members,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.
“The ballot has now closed and the union is considering the result and what action to put on. It must never be forgotten that these are the same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to rise up and defend their livelihoods.”
Andy Lord, managing director of London Underground, said: “The devastating impact of the pandemic on TfL finances has made a programme of change urgently necessary and we have been working with our staff and trade union colleagues for a number of months as proposals are developed. Nobody has or will lose their jobs as a result of the proposals we have set out and there are no current plans to change the TfL pension or terms and conditions.
“We’re calling on the RMT to work with us constructively, to avoid any industrial action which would damage TfL and London’s recovery, as we ensure London Underground is efficient and financially sustainable so it can continue to serve Londoners and support its staff.”
Industrial action
Separately, a new wave of strike action on the Metropolitan line has been announced by the union, which is disputing the imposition of new rosters.
Union officials have instructed drivers based at the Neasden depot in north west London not to book on to any shifts which commence between 11:30am on Thursday 20 January to 11:29am on Friday 21 January; and from 11:30am on Thursday 10 February to 11:29am on Friday 11 February.
“There’s a toxic culture developing at LU which amounts to the wholesale ripping up of normal procedures and agreements and our members at Neasden have said loud and clear that enough is enough,” said Lynch.
“I am calling on tube bosses to get a grip and stop this wholesale undermining of normal industrial relations.”
Strike action affecting the Victoria and Central lines began last week and could last every weekend until June. This dispute centres on new roster arrangements, specifically Night Tube shifts.
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