A 24h Tube strike is set to start today in London, UK, after rail union bosses and London Underground (LU) failed to agree on pay and conditions related to the new Night Tube service.
Services will be stopped from 6.30pm today and there will be no trains until end of service on Thursday.
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All stations are expected to close, with the four main Tube workers’ unions the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT), Unite and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) supporting the industrial action.
The UK’s Transport for London (TfL) has advised commuters to complete their journeys before the strike begins.
After listening to concerns of the unions over work-life balance, the LU said it put forward an extremely fair revised offer, which included a 2% salary increase this year, an extra £200-a-night shift for drivers for a limited time and a £500 bonus for night Tube staff when the service is introduced on 12 September.
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The offer also includes a £500 bonus in February next year after the completion of customer service modernisation plans.
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By GlobalDataTfL noted that drivers will have the same number of weekends off as now, no-one will be asked to work more hours than they currently do and annual leave will remain at 43 days for a train driver and 52 days for station staff.
The unions have outright rejected the offer and demanded more money, the hiring of even more staff and a four-day, 32h-working week for Tube employees.
London Underground managing director Nick Brown said: "No employer can afford to meet those sorts of demands."
During this strike, extra bus and river services will run on Thursday and extra Santander Cycles hubs will be in place at central locations.
The TfL noted that buses do not accept cash so customers should use a contactless debit or credit card or Oyster until the Tube line services return to normal on Friday morning.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Tube Lines staff have been offered a deal over the next two years on pay and 24h running, which mirrors that on offer to the rest of the LU workforce.
"It is as unacceptable on Tube Lines as it is across the rest of the combine and as a result, these essential maintenance staff will now be balloted for both strike action and action short of a strike.
"RMT is preparing for that ballot now and the union remains available for talks."
Image: London Underground tube services will be stopped from 6.30pm today. Photo: © RMT.
