London Underground workers vote to strike in dispute over pay
London Underground workers have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, continuing disruption for the capital’s commuters.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union backed walkouts and other forms of industrial action.
The union said the votes met the legal thresholds for industrial action ballots.
Union chiefs will now meet on Wednesday morning to decide when to walk out. By law, unions have to give two weeks’ notice of a strike.
A Transport for London spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that RMT has achieved a mandate for strike action based on our full and final pay offer.
“We have been clear throughout our productive discussions with our trade unions that this offer is the most we can afford whilst ensuring that we can operate safely, reliably and sustainably.
“We remain open for discussions and will do everything in our power to avoid disruption to Londoners.”
A pay increase of five per cent for 2023 had been offered to its staff, it said, with some positions on the Tube attracting a pay range that had been frozen over this year.
On Friday, the train drivers’ union Aslef accepted a new pay offer for its tube members in London. The Union’s full-time organiser on the Underground, Finn Brennan, said: “This offer means we have achieved, for our Tube train driver members, a 13.8 per cent pay rise over two years.”
The plans were criticised by deputy chief executive of BusinessLdn, Muniya Barua. “The prospect of yet more strikes in the New Year after this vote by the RMT will be deeply frustrating for Londoners and businesses across the capital.”
She added that “industrial action has heavily disrupted London’s economy in recent years, especially in sectors such as hospitality and retail that rely on footfall, so we desperately need all sides to reach a breakthrough and put an end to damaging strikes.
“London relies on a fully-functioning, world-class transport network to retain its position as a global city and support jobs across the capital.”
Alan Jones – Press Association with additional reporting from Guy Taylor