Frustrated thousands of commuters across London faced severe delays and disruptions in service. RMT union members held a strike which led to the shutdown of London Underground services. The smart industrial action began with an early warning strike on Sunday. It’s projected to be worst Monday through Friday, during rush hour, when it would most budgetarily affect mass transit throughout the metropolis.
The decision to strike follows an overwhelming vote for the action by RMT union members. The final tally of the 10,200 members who voted showed 6,004 in favor of the strike and 4,196 opposed it. As things heat up for workers, the RMT union is demanding a transition to a 32-hour workweek. Specifically, they point to harmful sheer shift patterns as the cause of their members feeling overworked and burned out.
In the last couple of years, it’s become even more unsafe on the Underground, with staff cut by 2,000 workers since 2018. The union maintains that their long-standing demands for improved working environments and increased staffing levels have been repeatedly dismissed. This consistent frustration has been the impetus for the strike action happening now.
Transport for London (TfL) warned travelers in advance of the planned strike. They cautioned that there would be limited or no Tube services on strike days from Monday to Thursday next week. This led to a major loss of service for many underground users during the week, with just a few interventions planned for Friday.
The strike was felt outside the Underground as well. Docklands Light Railway services were severely impacted on both Tuesday and Thursday because of the continuing DLR industrial action. At Waterloo station yesterday, hundreds of commuters faced long queues for other transport options including bus and train routes. By 09:30 on Monday morning, the queue for buses had reached an astonishing depth of 85 people.
RMT representatives made clear that disrupting businesses or public inconveniences was not their goal. Jared Wood, an RMT union spokesperson, added: “Our thoughts are with anyone impacted by this strike.”
“It’s not something we enjoy doing; our members lose all their pay as well, and we do have enormous sympathy for people going about their business.” – Jared Wood
Wood further elaborated on the extreme conditions faced by workers, noting that many start their shifts at 04:00 BST and finish as late as 01:00. He continued to say that bank holidays are considered normal working days which further leads to burn out of workers.
“People are exhausted and they want that issue addressed.” – Jared Wood
Though things were hard, there was not universal support for the union’s strategy. Chris Barnes, a local resident and activist, expressed sympathy for the workers’ frustration, but challenged the strike’s success on moving the needle.
“I accept the Tube workers are not happy and want change, but this isn’t the way for that to be achieved.” – Chris Barnes
Thirdly, Barnes criticized the strike’s expected toll on the economy.
“I understand they have issues but the millions of pounds of impact this will have, and lives that will be affected, means that my sympathy has run out for them.” – Chris Barnes
The strike’s impact was felt far beyond city borders. In fact, buses were so busy that a lot of regular commuters avoided transit altogether by walking or cycling instead. Rachel Edwards, a nurse and healthcare activist, commented on the need for strikes like these in the current climate.
“I would never ever strike for my patients but sometimes that’s the only way to get what you need.” – Rachel Edwards
Even then, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called on both RMT and TfL to come to a compromise to prevent any more stoppages.
“Is that all? That’s not much is it. We’d all love that wouldn’t we? I think it’s a little bit unrealistic.” – Rachel Edwards
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged both RMT and TfL to work towards a resolution to avoid further disruptions.
“Nobody wants to see strike action or disruption for Londoners.” – A spokesperson for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan