Britain’s largest city has been plunged into transport chaos as Tube workers begin their first full-stage walkout since 2023.
London Underground staff have started striking this morning in an RMT-led dispute over pay and conditions which will see the city’s main mode of transport grind to a halt over the coming week.
The union had demanded that its workers receive an increase in cash as well as a reduction in working time from 35 hours to 32 hours per week.
But Transport for London (TfL), who have since tabled a 3.4 per cent pay rise offer to the union’s members, said reducing working hours would be both ‘unaffordable and impractical’.
With travel disarray in sight, Nick Dent, TfL’s director of customer operations for the Tube, issued the RMT with a plea to stop the strikes.
He said on Friday: ‘We have met four times in the past two weeks and we would welcome further talks. It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members.’
However, it appears that the union are going full steam ahead with the walkout, which has already seen disruptions to many routes throughout the city.
While limited services are running today, London’s Tube network is set to be shut down completely as of 6pm this evening until around 8am on Friday, September 12.
Signs at High Street Kensington today show that the London Underground will be shut down from 6pm this evening until Friday morning
A sign in High Street Kensington shows how the disruption has already started, with no Circle Line service today ‘due to strike action’
A board in Notting Hill Gate station shows the Bakerloo Line and Circle Line are fully suspended, with the Metropolitan Line and Piccadilly Line part suspended
It will be the first time the underground’s entire network has been closed since March 2023, a movement fronted by then-RMT chief Mick Lynch.
Commuters had hoped a similar aversion would be deployed to that of last January, when Sadiq Khan used £30million of Greater London Authority funds to stop Tube workers from striking.
But with no solution in sight, fears have been sparked over the potential disruption the walkout could cause in the week ahead.
As Tube stations across the city lie desolate, workers will be forced to pack onto buses, the London Overground and trams – with roads also expected to be far busier than usual.
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services, which run through east and southeast London, will also be stopped entirely on Tuesday and Thursday over a separate dispute.
TfL has advised that alternative means of transport look set to be ‘extremely busy’ as commuters try to find a way into the city.
A page reading ‘Strike Action Impacts’ on TfL’s website shows the Tube disruption this week
The Underground Station in Notting Hill was quiet when the Daily Mail visited, with people seemingly seeking alternative means to reach their destinations
A sign displayed shows how disruption has commenced today, with services affected until Friday
High Street Kensington was also scarce in travellers passing through this morning amid the strikes
The Tube strikes are an RMT-led effort to improve workers’ pay and reduce the number of hours they work
They expect them to be so rammed that some services even face being unable to stop at stations shared with the London Underground.
Announcing the strikes last month, RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said workers were ‘not after a ‘King’s ransom’.
He said: ‘Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.
‘They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing- all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.
‘Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
‘RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.’
