LONDON – Commuters in London were thrown into chaos on Tuesday when nearly all tube services have been suspended as about 10,000 London Underground workers from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union went on a planned 24-hour strike.
The strike follows unresolved dispute between RMT and Transport for London (TfL) over the latter’s alleged plans to cut up to 600 station posts, as well as concerns over pensions and working conditions. Other TfL services including bus, London Overground, TfL Rail, DLR (Docklands Light Railway), London Trams and National Rail, are operating normally, but with long waiting lines.
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Another 24-hour strike is planned on Thursday, RMT said in the statement. “It’s highly unlikely there will be an Underground service running during the strike action and services are likely to be affected on the mornings of Wednesday and Friday too,” said Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer. Tuesday’s strike coincided with the hike to London’s tube and bus fares, which rose by an average of 4.8 percent, the sharpest rise in a decade, as Britain’s inflation soars.
