Tube strike causes ‘chaos’ for commuters across London

Commuters faced “chaos” on Monday morning as a London Underground strike caused major disruption.

There was severe disruption across the network on the first working day after the Platinum Jubilee bank holiday period as 4,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union who work at Tube stations conducted a 24-hour walkout.

The strike is part of a dispute over jobs and pensions and saw a reduced timetable operating on some London Underground sections, with services suspended elsewhere.

Piccadilly Line tube trains parked up at a depot near Boston Manor tube station in London

Many stations, especially those in central and south London, were closed, causing long queues for buses.

London Underground advised people not to travel, while Downing Street condemned the “deeply disappointing” strike action.

“This sort of action is deeply disappointing and not what the public want to see, not what we want to see for businesses still trying to recover post-pandemic, people’s lives being disrupted in London,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

Construction worker Miguel Basantes was stranded at Paddington station as he tried to get to work in Hampstead.

People waiting at a bus stop in Paddington as RMT members on London Underground went on strike

The 54-year-old described the situation as “chaos”.

He went on: “In Liverpool Street there were crowds of people and I was waiting for 20 or 30 minutes. I don’t know how to get to work.”

Indian restaurant worker Kundan Darla, 25, said: “I think it is bad, I am too late for work.”

Tracy Brown, 45, a mother-of-three from Acton, said: “Getting three children ready in the mornings for school is hard enough without a Tube strike making things harder.

“I am fed up of running around to get my children to school on time because some people are so greedy.”

Paul Glennon, 52, a construction worker in central London, said: “It is back to reality for all of us – no more parties and parades.

“I have spent my whole morning getting on and waiting for packed buses in the rain.”

The Tube strike caused delays on London’s roads, affecting private cars, commercial vehicles and buses.

Satnav firm TomTom said the level of road congestion was 71 per cent at 8am, up from 64 per cent a fortnight earlier.

The figures represent the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.

Transport for London (TfL) said no plans had been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody will lose their jobs because of the proposals it has set out.

As part of previous funding agreements, the Government has required TfL to work towards achieving financial sustainability on its operations by April 2023.

TfL has proposed not recruiting into around 500 to 600 posts as they become vacant.

The RMT said, under current proposals, working agreements will be torn up and the looming threat to pensions remains in place.

General secretary Mick Lynch said: “We are demanding a direct face-to-face meeting with mayor Sadiq Khan to sort this mess out.

“There’s no point in our union continuing to sit opposite management representatives who have neither the inclination nor the authority to negotiate a settlement, when the power lies with the mayor.”

RMT members on the Tube are also taking action short of a strike, meaning station staff might not work overtime, until Sunday, July 10, which may result in short notice station closures.