London Underground drivers’ night strike enters fifth week
The so-called Night Tube is set to be hit by strikes for a fifth consecutive week, as London Underground drivers and executives are still at odds over rosters and work/live balance.
On Friday and Saturday evening, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will stage another walkout on the London Central line and Victoria line, as they have done for the past four weeks. This effectively reduces the so-called Night Tube service along the two major London arteries to two trains per hour. The Central line and Victoria line serve well over 500 million passengers between them each year.
Pubs and restaurants fear ‘devastating impact’
As the walkouts enter their fifth week, the hospitality sector is beginning to fear the impact thereof on business and night life. “We have fought extremely hard to re-establish the night tube service last year, but now further disruption through long term strike action is likely to have a devastating impact on the night time economy which is a fundamental part of the Capitals infrastructure”, Night Time Industry Association ceo Michael Kill told the Evening Standard.
Meanwhile, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch called on the London Underground (LU) leadership to resume negotiations. “We cannot make any progress if LU continue to give us the cold shoulder.”
Transport for London, on its part, said it was open to talks in order to find a resolution in order to avoid a prolonged strike. Last month, the union vowed to continue their eight-hour walkout on Friday and Saturday evenings until June, the daily reported.
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