THE RMT transport union is holding a network-wide strike of 4,000 station staff members on London Underground on Monday 6th June, bringing the Tube to a standstill immediately after the four-day bank holiday.
The action will start a minute after midnight and last for 24 hours, the union said yesterday, also announcing an overtime ban from next Friday, 3rd June, until 10th July.
The dramatic escalation of the RMT’s dispute with Transport for London (TfL) comes in response to the company’s vicious attacks on jobs, pensions, pay and conditions, with inflation now in double figures.
TfL is seeking to scrap 600 station posts, leaving remaining staff having to work more unsociable hours or be left alone in stations at night.
The strike will also involve revenue protection officers belonging to the RMT.
It follows another strike planned for Friday 3rd June at Euston and Green Park stations.
The strike on Monday 6th June threatens to cripple the entire Underground to an extent not seen since March, when two 24-hour strikes closed down the network, with more than 200 stations shut.
The 6th June action is likely to close the network again.
A review of TfL’s staff pension scheme was published in March, urging an attack on pensions to the tune of up to £182.4m a year.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said yesterday: ‘TfL is trying to bulldoze through 600 job losses on London Underground and our members are not prepared to accept that.
‘Station staff play a crucial role in serving the travelling public and were heroes during the 7/7 terrorist attacks.
‘Instead of seeking to cut jobs, TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan need to put further pressure on the government to secure increased funding for the network so we can have a properly staffed modern 21st century Tube.’
No formal proposals to change TfL pension benefits have yet been published.
But the review, carried out by former TUC General Secretary Sir Brendan Barber, set out a series of options, including several involving massive cuts, which are currently being considered by TfL, the pension trustees and the government.
