Tube rail maintenance workers began a 24-hour strike today (5 February) in protest over roster changes and outsourcing of work, according to the RMT union.
About 750 union members walked out from 6.45am, and will continue to stage stoppages every Sunday from 14 February, until further notice. All underground bosses have stressed that all 12 lines will remain open with no cancellations.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said in a statement: “[London Underground] have been hell bent on confrontation through their tearing up of the Signals Framework Agreement and through the unilateral introduction of new working practices which mean they can make people work what hours they like, when they like.”
He added: “RMT members have said enough is enough by voting overwhelmingly for action.”
London Underground (LU) said 750 members of staff were going on strike over alterations to the shift patterns of 32 staff, adding it was “astonishing” the industrial action had been called when conciliation talks through Acas were still ongoing, according to Reuters.
LU said it was trying to introduce a roster system to ensure engineering staff were always available when the railway is operating, and said contractors were used for specific work.
“They should stop threatening industrial action at every opportunity, when all that will do is lose their members more pay,” said Phil Hufton, LU’s chief maintenance officer.
