London Underground Workers to Begin 24-Hour Strike on Friday

Mass closures of stations and immense queues are feared as union members are protesting amid the restart of the Night Tube.

London tube workers will go on strike starting from 4:30 a.m. Friday, the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union said. According to Transport for London (TfL), the Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee, and Piccadilly lines will be severely disrupted.

RMT announced the strike after the underground abolished 200 driver positions, and introduced new schedules for the remaining drivers to cover Night Tube services, which are restarting after being suspended in March 2020.

People board an underground "Tube" train at Oxford Circus underground station in London. (File)

© AP Photo / Sang Tan

The union called this decision "unacceptable and intolerable", saying it would destroy the work-life balance of members by "bulldozing through additional night and weekend working".

"This strike is about the ripping apart of popular and family-friendly agreements that helped make the original Night Tube such a success. Instead, the company want to cut costs and lump all drivers into a pool where they can be kicked from pillar to post at the behest of the management", RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said

TfL said RMT hadn't presented "any workable alternatives", and accused the union of hindering the city's recovery from the pandemic. According to TfL, the changes will result in drivers working about four night shifts a year.

The workers also plan to strike on Sunday, 28 November, as well as five more dates: 3, 4, 10, 11, and 17 December.