London’s Tube network ground to a halt on Monday as workers launched a week-long strike over pay and working conditions, causing major travel disruptions for commuters and tourists across the city.
Almost no London Underground trains are expected to run between Monday and Thursday. Additionally, the Docklands Light Railway, which connects the financial centres of Canary Wharf and the City of London, will not run on Tuesday and Thursday.
Londoners reported making longer journeys to get to work on Monday morning, with many choosing to cycle and others taking detours.
“The prospect of it being all week, it’s a bit of a nightmare… it’s probably taken me twice as long to get in this morning,” said legal counsel Laura Sutton, 46, who was near London Bridge station.
Union Demands Better Conditions
The RMT trade union said the dispute centred on pay, fatigue management, shift patterns and a reduction in the working week.
“They are not after a king’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing,” RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said.
Transport for London, which operates the capital’s public transport network, said the union would only accept a deal which led to a reduction in the working week, with staff typically working 35 hours.
It said it had been working hard to resolve the dispute and had offered staff a 3.4% pay rise.
Some train services in the capital will be running during the strike.
The Elizabeth Line, which operates trains to Heathrow Airport, and the Overground rail network were operating with some minor disruption.
As well as likely disruption for commuters and tourists, the strikes have prompted British rock band Coldplay to reschedule two concerts at Wembley Stadium this week, while U.S. singer Post Malone also postponed his two shows in London until later in the month.
(With inputs from Reuters)
