London tube strike: commuters emerge into sunlight

Four trade unions are staging a 24-hour strike over pay and other terms connected with the introduction of a 24-hour tube service, intended to begin from 12 September.

Millions of commuters who usually use London Underground to get to work opted for walking, cycling, buses, taxis and the Thames river boat service to make their journeys.

The union leadership has basically been spoiling for a big fight on this. Boris Johnson, London mayor

Large queues formed at taxi ranks and bus stops across the capital, and transport bosses said extra boat services and 200 more buses had been provided to cope with a surge in passenger numbers.

The increased demand for the ride-sharing app Uber also meant that travellers found themselves being charged 2.9 times the usual fare. The app increases its charges during busy time.

A message on the app said “Demand is off the charts! Fares have increased to get more Ubers on the road.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson, speaking on Thursday would not rule out the possibility that the 12 September implementation date for the “Night Tube” could be put back.

Commenting on whether union discontent meant the new train timetables could not be implemented as planned, Mr Johnson said: “I am not as hung up on the date. We will get it done this autumn.”

And Mr Johnson criticised the action of the unions, saying their motivation for striking was political.

If London comes to a halt this week, the people who should be blamed are not those who work hard to keep it moving all year round. Mick Davey

“We have got to get on with the Night Tube,” he said. “The unions don’t like it, they don’t think that we should be able to do this.

“I think it is essential for the city, they want to show that you can’t do a huge change like this without them expressing their views.

“Unfortunately what has happened is that the union leadership has basically been spoiling for a big fight on this. I think they were very disappointed by the election result in May.”

The correct response to the #tubestrike pic.twitter.com/iZjRKYroIx

— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) July 9, 2015

The unions have said that they are not opposed to a night service on the underground, but that any pay rises should be a “fair increase” that “recognises the record number of passengers using the tube”.

The unions say the pay deal that has been offered by Transport for London “would in fact be a below-inflation deal, in real terms a pay cut”.

“We do not oppose night running on the tube but we insist that enough staff are employed so that the burden of Fri/Sat nights working does not fall on those already working unsociable hours”, a Unite leaflet read.

Union members overwhelmingly voted for strike action – 90 per cent voted yes in a turnout of over 50 per cent.

One tube worker, Mick Davey, took to Facebook to explain why the strike was taking place. His post has been shared over 2,000 times.

In the post he says TfL offered a last minute pay deal “ultimatum” that did not give the unions enough time to consider the proposals.

“If London comes to a halt this week, the people who should be blamed are not those who work hard to keep it moving all year round,” he wrrote. “It is the directors, and those above them, who simply do not believe that their staff have a right to a reasonable quality of life.”

You can see his full Facebook post below.

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Dear All my Commuter friends & anyone else who is interested in details of the strike action and dispute between TfL and…

Posted by Mick Davey on Tuesday, 7 July 2015