London Underground drivers will stage fresh strike on Budget Day
London Underground drivers will stage fresh strike on Budget Day amid dispute over pensions and working arrangements
London Underground drivers are to strike on March 15 – Budget Day – in a dispute over pensions and working arrangements, their union Aslef announced.
The union said 99 per cent of its members voted in favour of strike action on a turnout of 77 per cent in its latest ballot.
It follows similar votes by Aslef members on the Underground, including Test Train and Engineering train drivers, as well as those in management roles, to go on strike on the same day.
The industrial action will take place the day before members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union walk out of their jobs at 14 train operating companies across the UK and will kick off days of chaos on the railways.
The Aslef union has announced Tube drivers will go on strike for 24 hours on March 15. Pictured: Euston Underground Station closed during a strike in November last year
Finn Brennan, ASLEF’s full-time organiser on the Underground, said: ‘The size of these “Yes” votes, and the large turnouts, show that our members are not prepared to put up any longer with the threats to their working conditions and pensions. We understand that TfL faces financial challenges, post-pandemic, but our members are simply not prepared to pay the price for the government’s failure to properly fund London’s public transport system.
‘Cuts to safety training have already been forced through and management is open that they plan to remove all current working agreements under the guise of ‘modernisation’ and ‘flexibility’ and to replace the agreed attendance and discipline policies. Proposals to slash pension benefits are due to be announced in the next week.
‘We are always prepared to discuss and negotiate on changes, but our members want an unequivocal commitment from TfL that management will not continue to force through detrimental changes without agreement.
‘Unless they are prepared to work with us, and accept that changes have to come by agreement, and bring real benefits to staff, rather than just cuts and cost savings, this will be only the first day of action in a protracted dispute.’
More to follow…
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