City chaos as strikes go ahead
LONDON was thrown into chaos last night as London Underground (LU) staff staged a 48-hour walk-out.
Last-ditch talks between RMT union officials and LU bosses fell apart just before the 7pm strike start-time, as the union accused transport chiefs of “pulling the rug from under a workable agreement” by bringing in lawyers.
Transport for London (TfL) condemned the strikes, which come after a dispute over pay and jobs. The last straw came as RMT called for two fired train drivers to be reinstated as a pre-condition to calling off the action.
London transport commissioner Peter Hendy called the strikes a “slap in the face to hardworking Londoners,” while CBI director-general John Cridland said “this strike is damaging for business and will cause widespread inconvenience.” The chamber of commerce estimates that the strikes will cost London £100m in lost productivity.
RMT wants a five per cent pay rise and no compulsory redundancies.
Emergency measures have been put in place across the capital to help keep London rolling.