London underground workers strike over pay and pensions

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – Workers in the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union working in the London underground system went on strike on Friday over pay and pensions.

Most underground lines were suspended, and bus services in western and southwestern London were also disrupted in a separate strike over pay.

Rail workers went on strike on Thursday, and will do so again on Saturday.

The wave of industrial action comes amid an escalating cost-of-living crisis caused by double-digit inflation.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that union bosses should “get out of the way” and allow members to vote on the new pay deals that are being proposed.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The way the Government is behaving, it’s almost like they’re deliberately provoking strikes across the country, not just in the transport sector but in other sectors, as a precursor for legislation to curtail the rights of trade unions to go on strike.”

Khan said he was on the same side as the RMT and wanted to see them secure the best deal possible.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “We haven’t got an agreement from the TfL LUL (London Underground Limited) about the future of the pension scheme, which is under threat and, at the moment, there’s negotiations going on between the Government, the Treasury, and Mayor Khan’s office about the future funding of London Underground.”

Transport for London Chief Operating Officer Andy Lord said: “I would like to apologise to our customers for the strike action being carried out by RMT and Unite, which will have a significant impact on the city’s transport network.”