Tube strikes: RMT threatens Elizabeth Line disruption next
As Tube strikes stretch into a third day of disruption, the RMT trade union has now threatened to hit the Elizabeth Line with industrial action.
From Sunday evening, tube drivers went on strike over the working hours of union members, who enjoy a salary of around £65,000, as RMT’s new boss Eddie Dempsey is demanding a 32-hour week.
Transport for London (TfL) put a 3.4 per cent pay rise on the table, but it was rejected by the RMT union, and since then, talks have not only failed but have also come to a standstill.
The action hit City workers on Monday as buses, national rail, the Elizabeth Line, and even the bike lanes were overcrowded, leading to delays and stress for people trying to get to and from work.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, who serves as the chair of TfL, is under growing pressure to end the industrial action; however, speaking to the media on Monday, the Mayor made clear that he is not prepared to intervene.
He told The Standard, “I think what is really important for the RMT and TfL to get round the table and talk about the differences they have got and try to meet them when they can.”
“I can’t sugar-coat the fact that these strikes are incredibly bad news for our city,” he added.
Despite the Mayor saying he wasn’t going to find some ready cash to end the strikes, No 10 said it backed “fed up” Londoners as Khan was urged to find a solution with the trade union RMT to end industrial action.
Elizabeth Line a potential new strike target
The Elizabeth Line is one of the few TfL transport services that were not affected by the strike action this week; however, in a new statement this morning, the union has threatened a period of “sustained industrial action”.
The union has called the planned closure of ticket offices by 2027 “a betrayal of station staff and passengers”.
Dempsey said: “After the biggest wave of public opposition we’ve seen in years to ticket office closures, it’s beyond belief that similar plans are being put back on the table for the Elizabeth Line.”
“Against the backdrop of industrial relations chaos across TfL, this reckless move is like pouring petrol on the fire,” he added.
He demanded that Khan and TfL step in to prevent the closures from taking place.
“If this decision is not immediately rescinded, we will trigger an immediate dispute on the Elizabeth Line with a view to taking sustained industrial action and launching a mass public campaign,” he added.