By Oliver Morgan, Elliot Hammond and Gianluca Barbazza
Strike action on the London Underground will continue through December, with severe delays expected on most lines following the opening of the Night Tube.
Disruption of services will occur on the Piccadilly, Victoria, Northern, Jubilee and Central lines on the first three weekends in December with more strikes planned by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union. Union members walked out over disputes about pay and rotas for the Night Tube.
Prior to Covid, there were designated drivers of the Night Tube drivers and designated drivers for regular services. Under new plans by TfL, drivers on standard operating hour contracts would have to take up between 3-4 night shifts a year.
There are an estimated 4,000 tube drivers in London with a large fraction striking this month. TfL worker Graham Smyth said, “It’s a Night Tube thing y’know, nobody wants to drive night trains,” although he disagrees with the proposed strike action. Smyth is not a member of the RMT Union and said he has no problem working his hours.
“I understand why they have a problem with it,” argues 24-year-old media analyst Maisie Drapek. “If they don’t want to work night shifts they shouldn’t be forced into something they didn’t agree to.”
Women’s safety
Drapek comprehends why the Night Tube is returning, citing woman’s safety as TfL’s main motivation to reoperate the service that has been suspended during the pandemic. “I know Sadiq Khan said it was opening to keep women safe with everything that happened this year with Sarah Everard,” she said, “But I think they should come to an agreement between the drivers and the mayor.”
Elijah Njoku, 16, a student from London College of Communication, said “People need to get home you know. people from work, people getting home from nights out but at the same time people controlling the Tube have lives too so I think it’s a 50/50.”
Other students have expressed concerns about the strikes. “People need trains to go to work,” said 16-year-old student Richy Monu. “It’s not really useful for people but I understand why they’re doing it at the same time.”
For further information on travel delays, visit tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/
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