Transport strikes: More travel misery as London Underground and bus staff begin latest walkout | UK News

Employees on the London Underground are staging a 24-hour walkout in a continued row over jobs and pensions.

Members of the RMT union are putting immediately, together with a few of their Overground colleagues, closing massive elements of the Tube community for the day.

Most buses throughout west and southwest London will even not run because of industrial motion taken by members of Unite.

Learn extra: Who is going on strike in August and for how long?

The motion is sandwiched between RMT strikes on Network Rail on Thursday and Saturday, because the impasse between unions and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps deepens.

Transport staff have been asking for a pay improve according to inflation, in addition to safety for jobs amid proposed cuts by the federal government.

RMT Common Secretary Mick Lynch mentioned: “Tube bosses are having secret negotiations with the federal government about slashing jobs and undermining working circumstances and pensions, all within the identify of eradicating subsidies.

“This government-led assault on workers might be disastrous, as no different comparable city transport system on this planet operates with out monetary assist from central authorities to make sure good and dependable companies.

“The federal government must cease attempting to get companies on a budget by slashing jobs and wages, and put money into what ought to be a world-class transport community.”

Passengers are being urged to not journey immediately.

A Division for Transport spokesperson mentioned: “It is clear strikes are usually not the highly effective instrument they as soon as have been and union chiefs are not in a position to carry the nation to a standstill as, not like them, the world has modified and folks merely make money working from home.

“All these strikes are doing is hurting these individuals the unions declare to signify, a lot of whom will once more be out of pocket and compelled to overlook a day’s work.

“We urge union bosses to do the suitable factor by their members and allow them to have their say on Community Rail’s very reasonable deal, which can ship the reforms our rail system urgently wants. It is time to get off the picket traces and again across the negotiating desk – the way forward for our railway is dependent upon it.”

Passengers utilizing nationwide rail companies immediately might be left feeling the hangover of Thursday’s strikes, with the community having to catch as much as get trains the place they have to be earlier than resuming journeys.

Just one-in-five trains ran on Thursday, with many areas having no companies in any respect working between them, with the identical once more set to occur on Saturday.

Learn extra:
RMT chief Mick Lynch says ‘we will keep going until we get a negotiated settlement’

Andy Lord, TfL’s chief working officer, mentioned: “I want to apologise to our clients for the strike motion being carried out by RMT and Unite, which may have a big impression on the town’s transport community.

“I perceive how irritating these strikes are, and I would wish to remind the RMT and Unite that it isn’t too late to work with us, Arriva Rail London and RATP (which runs the London buses affected by the strike) to discover a decision and keep away from the large disruption this motion will trigger to individuals’s journeys and to the financial system.”

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A spokesperson for the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, mentioned: “Discussions on TfL funding are ongoing with the federal government, however TfL has been clear that no one has or will lose their jobs due to the proposals beforehand set out, and that every one adjustments are at all times topic to full session with workers and commerce unions.

“Sadiq has additionally been clear that the federal government shouldn’t use TfL worker phrases and circumstances as a bargaining instrument in funding negotiations.”

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps might be speaking to Sky Information this morning at round 7am.