Tube strikes in London have been called off

Monday, January 8, 2024

The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers, or, as it is popularly known, RMT, announced that it spoke to Transport for London (TfL) and suspended its tube strikes in London. The mayor of London has made the new funds available for the same. 

Had the strikes taken place, it would have stalled the tube services and, furthermore, caused ruckus in the capital.

In addition, TfL issued a warning that there could be some disruption due to the last-minute suspension of the strikes. 

Engineers and network control employees began rolling industrial action over pay on Friday as part of the RMT, but frontline employees in station operations, train operations, and communication joined the strikes on Monday, which had a significant impact.

The RMT had voted a strike for the pay hike relating to a due date of April 2023. 

Though increases have historically been correlated with RPI inflation, which was significantly higher last year, TfL has offered a 5% increase.

In addition, the union has argued that TfL can consequently afford more. They have pointed out that Andy Lord, who is the transport commissioner, has had a rise in salary from £40,000 to £395,000 since he became permanent in June. 

Unions have furthermore objected to freezing salary bands relating to low-paid roles that are arguing for restoration and travel benefits. 

The mayor, Sadiq Khan, told the media that the relentless strikes would have cost the hospitality industry almost £50 million. The suspension, he continued, demonstrated what can be accomplished by cooperating and working with transport workers’ unions rather than opposing them.    

Although the train drivers union Aslef may now recast its demands for an inflation-linked agreement, the union had already accepted the 5% offer.

Unite had not yet accepted the deal, and TSSA, the third rail union, declared that it would run a ballot for industrial action. 

In 2022, tube workers received an 8.4% pay increase as part of a four-year index-linked agreement made prior to a sharp increase in inflation.

Furthermore, fares are expected to rise in London by almost 5% in March, although the mayor has not yet fixed the exact rise. 

[Image Source: The Independent]

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