London Tube Drivers Vote to Strike Over Pay and Labor Conditions

The London Underground workers have scheduled a 24-hour strike over pay and working conditions, which will start on the 8th of July.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The London Underground will be beset by a 24-hour strike, starting at 21.30 [20:30 GMT] on July 8, after the vast majority of members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) voted in favor of the action, the ASLEF's executive committee announced on Thursday.

"ASLEF members on London Underground have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute over the company’s decision to try to force through, without negotiation, new rosters which would mean Tube drivers will have to work an unlimited number of weekend and night shifts for no extra pay," ASLEF stated.

With a voting turnout of 81.3 percent, the majority of those who took part in the ballot answered "yes" to the question "Are you prepared to take part in a strike?"

ASLEF represents 80 percent of the London Underground’s 3,500 drivers.

The ballot was triggered by a dispute over pay and working conditions related to the introduction of night trains, scheduled to commence on September 12.

Union members stressed that they are not opposed to night services, but that they want them to be introduced in a fair and sensible way.

In recent months, many transport unions in a number of European countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom, have gone on strike in disputes over pay and working conditions.