Drivers fear the Night Tube’s return after dedicated staff were sacked will affect their work-life balance
By Local Democracy Reporter Joe Talora
Waltham Forest can expect severe Tube delays this week as planned strikes draw closer with no sign of progress.
Drivers on the Victoria and Central lines – which serve Walthamstow, Leyton and Leytonstone respectively – are set to begin a series of 24-hour walkouts this Friday.
Members of the RMT union are striking over fears that the return of the Night Tube, scheduled for this weekend, will impact drivers’ work-life balance after dedicated staff were cut.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “All of this was avoidable if the Tube management hadn’t axed dedicated Night Tube staff and perfectly workable arrangements in order to cut staffing numbers and costs.”
Mr Lynch has also hit out at TfL’s £12 million bonus scheme for executives and has denounced it as “nothing more than cash for cuts”.
Though Mr Lynch said the union “remains open for talks”, he said that Tube bosses have “refused point blank to consider the serious grievances at the heart of the dispute”.
With just two days to go, a TfL source said that “not a huge amount has developed” since the industrial action was announced.
However, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said TfL is “confident” the Night Tube will still reopen as planned on 27th November but admitted the strikes “may have an impact on service levels”.
The union planned two similar strikes during the summer over the same issue, which were eventually called off following “last-ditch” talks with TfL.
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