Thousands of London Underground workers brought fresh travel chaos to the capital on Tuesday as industrial relations on the Tube have "totally collapsed", according to union leaders. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is staging strike action all week in a dispute over pay and hours.
Members of the DLR also walked out on Tuesday in a separate dispute, compounding travel misery for commuters, tourists and passengers across London's transport network.
Union demands mayor's intervention
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey called on London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to step in and resolve the escalating disputes. "There has been a total collapse of industrial relations on London Underground," he said.
Dempsey warned that strikes on the Tube and DLR were just the beginning, with disputes looming over cleaners' pay and conditions as well as the future of ticket offices on the Elizabeth Line. Transport for London denies plans to close ticket offices despite RMT claims of uncovered closure plans.
"The mayor has to intervene. He keeps telling us to return to the negotiating table - well, if he invites us to a meeting, we will attend," Dempsey said. "Our members are not asking for a king's ransom. We want progress towards recognition about the impact of shift work."
Government calls for talks
The union has been pushing for reduced working hours since 2018, seeking progress towards a 32-hour week from the current 35-hour schedule. "We are not asking for an immediate drop from a 35-hour week to 32. We have been discussing this since 2018 and we are open to discussions," Dempsey explained.
Downing Street urged both sides to return to negotiations as the strike paralysed Tube services for a second consecutive day. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "I think Londoners will rightly be fed up with the disruption from Tube strikes ….. as parents try and drop their kids off at school, get to hospital appointments, get to work."
"We want to see RMT and TfL get back around the table when it comes to these strikes, work together in good faith to resolve this situation in the interests of passengers," the spokesman added.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
