Tube strikes warning for London travellers

Severe delays are expected throughout the week

Author: Radina Koutsafti and Alan Jones, PA Published 28th Feb 2022
Last updated 28th Feb 2022

Travellers in London are being warned of severe disruption to Tube services this week because of strikes by thousands of workers in a dispute over jobs, pensions and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on Tuesday (1st March) and Thursday (3rd March).

Transport for London (TfL) said it expects severe disruption across all Tube lines on strike days.

The planned action is also likely to severely affect services on Wednesday (2nd March) and Friday (4th March), particularly in the morning peak.

TfL has criticised the industrial action, saying there are no proposals on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals it has set out.

In a statement, TfL said: "TfL will do all it can to provide as many transport options as possible, but customers are advised to check before they travel, consider if their travel is essential and work from home if possible. They should leave more time for journeys and travel at quieter times where possible."

"Politicians need to wake up," says RMT general secretary

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Our members will be taking strike action because a financial crisis at LU (London Underground) has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.

"These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.

"The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.

"In addition to the strike action, RMT is co-ordinating a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat."

Picket lines will be mounted outside Tube stations across the capital on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Government announced a new funding deal for TfL last week, which will run until the end of June.

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