London (AFP) – Workers streamed into the British capital by foot, bike, and bus Wednesday as strike action on the London Underground train network disrupted services. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out from 12:00pm (1100GMT) on Tuesday for 24 hours over plans by Transport for London (TfL) to condense the working week into four days. They will strike again for 24 hours from midday on Thursday, causing disruption to services for the rest of the week.
The strike resulted in services on the London Underground being suspended or partially suspended, with severe delays reported on other parts of the network, according to TfL. Services on airport links such as the Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express were not affected, the operators said on their websites. Eurostar services to France, Belgium, and The Netherlands were also operating as normal.
The RMT union stated that TfL bosses informed them last week that it would proceed with the four-day week despite drivers rejecting the working arrangement in two referendums. Other issues, including shift length and changes to annual leave, were also in dispute, said RMT official Jared Wood.
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, however, said the changes to the working week were not being imposed. “The changes would be voluntary; there would be no reduction in contractual hours, and those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern would be able to do so,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
