Another 24-hour strike will begin on the London Underground tonight, causing travel chaos for thousands of commuters.
More than 11,000 members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association will walk out from 7pm tonight (2 November) over plans to axe 800 jobs.
Transport for London have pledged to “keep London moving” during the strikes, with more than a hundred extra buses and capacity for around 10,000 more passenger journeys on the river.
During last month’s strikes, Personnel Today reported that Boris Johnson had called for the law to be changed so it would be harder for workers to strike.
He has been critisied by RMT general secretary Bob Crow for failing to stick to the pledge that he made during his election campaign, which recognised that people wanted to see stations staffed properly.
“Only last week, Tube workers were commended by the inquest into the July 7 bombings for their selfless actions in rescuing victims, yet among them are the very grades that the mayor is now intent on cutting,” said Crow.
“Far from keeping his word, the Mayor now has more than 2,000 Tube jobs in his sights. He now has a choice. He can either be remembered for devastating Tube safety and the fabric of the network or he can work with us to defend it.”
The industrial action on the London Underground network, which will continue into Wednesday 3 November, will result in some employers facing the dilemma as to whether or not to pay employees who are not at work because of public transport disruption.
With a further 24-hour stike planned for 28 November, employers can find more information from XpertHR on how to deal with employment issues caused by the tube strikes.
