Tube strike talks break down over Bakerloo walkout
The Bakerloo line will grind to a halt on Friday as last minute talks between the rail union and Transport for London (TfL) to avoid a Tube strike have broken down.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed this morning that its drivers would strike over the weekend despite “intensive efforts” in arbitration talks.
RMT has instructed its members to walk off the job from midday on Friday until midday on Saturday and then again on midday from Sunday to midday on Monday.
The industrial action is in response to planned timetable changes by TfL that would put “intolerable levels of personal stress” on drivers, according to the union.
The strike is set to contribute to travel chaos on the London Underground as the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines will also be down over the weekend.
TfL is shutting down the lines on Saturday and Sunday to test new signalling systems.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said London Underground bosses had “played [the union] along” and “failed to make any serious progress” in arbitration talks over the Bakerloo line strike.
He added: “That failure by London Underground chiefs mean that the action goes ahead as planned and even at this late stage we would ask the mayor to intervene to get his officials back around the table with a serious offer.
“The bottom line is that you cannot place intolerable stress and pressure on Tube drivers that impacts on their safety-critical role and that is what this dispute is all about.”
TfL released a statement on Monday saying the Bakerloo line would be “severely affected” by the strike action.
Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of line operations, said: “We met with the unions last week to outline the steps we have taken already and to talk through their concerns so that we can move forwards.
“I would urge the RMT to continue working collaboratively with us to resolve these issues.”