Transport for London (TFL) services are to be affected by strike action planned for two days and eight nights throughout November and December.
The National Union for Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) strike plans will affect five tube lines on November 26 and December 18, while strikes affecting the long-awaited return of night tube services are also planned for the December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, and 12, and overnight from December 17 into December 18.
Tube services during the following day after each strike may also be affected, as trains will be in the wrong place to start the next day’s service. This could lead to further delays for commuters.
Many TFL customers are concerned about how they will get to and from work on Friday, with healthcare staff in particular worried about the impact of short-staffing and patients being unable to attend appointments.
The Northern, Jubilee, Central, Victoria and Piccadilly Lines will either run a severely reduced service or no service at all if strikes are not called off. TFL has warned that unaffected Tube lines, the Overground, and bus services will also be severely affected due to increased demand from passengers seeking alternative routes.
Night Tube services on the Central and Victoria lines were set to return this month, but the RMT has raised concerns over “impossible and unreasonable demands” being placed on its members as preparations to restart the service begin. The Central and Victoria Line Night Tube services were the two busiest night services prior to the pandemic. Night Tube services were also due to resume on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly Lines at some stage, but TFL has not yet released an anticipated date for their return.
The RMT claims that the loss of over two hundred Night Tube staff during the pandemic has led to a “staffing crisis”, and the re-introduction of Night Tube services will destroy the work-life balance of its members. TFL points out it has made roster changes, agreed to by other unions, which have provided staff with more flexibility as well as boosting the resilience of TFL Underground services.
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