Major tube strikes are expected to affect the entire London Underground network next week.
The RMT union last night confirmed that talks with arbitration service Acas had broken down.
Transport for London (TfL) staff will stage mass walk outs on two days in March as a result.
The strikes were initially announced in February, with RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, blaming “a financial crisis at LUL (London Underground Limited)” which he described as being “deliberately engineered by the government”.
Commuters and network users will likely see severe disruption across the entire TfL network for four days of next week, and should leave considerable extra time for their journeys.
Here’s everything you need to know.
When are the Tube strikes happening?
The strikes will begin at one minute past midnight on both 1 and 3 March (next Tuesday and Thursday) and end at one minute to midnight on both days.
“On strike days, expect severe disruption to all lines and stations throughout the day [and the] possibility of no London Underground services,” warned TfL in a statement about the industrial action.
Morning services the day after each walk out (Wednesday 2 and Friday 4 March) will also see delays and disruption, said TfL.
“If you can, consider working from home on strike days,” advised London Underground bosses, adding that commuters should travel later in the day than usual on the days after each action.
Which Tube lines will be affected?
With 10,000 employees walking out as part of the strike, disruption and cancellations are expected across the whole network.
Stations will close and there will be little to no service on both strike days.
There are also currently (unrelated) overnight strikes on the Central and Victoria lines every Friday and Saturday until Sunday 19 June 2022.
Why are TfL employees striking?
The dispute is over jobs, pensions and working conditions.
Among other things, London Underground staff are protesting major staff cuts announced in December as part of a wider TfL plan to save money.
Some 500 jobs are set to be axed across the network, with many of the larger stations bearing the brunt of the cuts.
Early in February, the RMT union instructed members to stop work on Tuesday 1 and Thursday 3 March.
The union says more than 10,000 members working on the Tube were invited to take part in a ballot. Of those who responded, 94 per cent voted to strike – though this is understood to be less than half the number of union members on the Underground.
Earlier this month, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members will be taking strike action next month because a financial crisis at LUL has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts’ agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.
“These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.”
TfL has condemned the strike call. Chief operating officer Andy Lord said: “It is extremely disappointing that the RMT has today announced strike action, as no proposals have been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs as a result of the proposals we have set out.”
TfL has repeatedly issued warnings that it will be forced to begin a “managed decline” of London’s public transport network unless it secures a multi-year funding deal to replace fares revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic.
