Wednesday 8 July 2015

Tube Strike Starts at 6pm Tonight

No trains from 6pm tonight. Image: Wikimedia Commons
ASLEF , RMT, TSSA, and UNITE - in short, all the London Underground train driver unions, are on strike from 6pm tonight, continuing into Thursday July 9. The whole of the London Underground system will grind to a halt. Time to plan for the worst - and remember that the roads will be even busier than usual. If you can, work from home on Thursday.

Who and what is affected?
Only the Tube - not National Rail overground services. The Central Line, Circle Line and Hammersmith & City Lines will all be down. Around 20,000 Underground staff are walking out.

What about the Overground?
Business as usual - mostly. If you can get to work this way - this is your solution. Except for commuters using First Great Western services - these will also be disrupted by a 48-hour RMT strike from 18:30pm tonight.  Also Chiltern Railways services between Aylesbury and London Marylebone via Amersham are affected.

What about buses?
Buses will run normally. But, of course, traffic will be a nightmare. Budget a lot of extra time.

What about bikes?
Yes, this is an option for some.

What is the strike about?
Money. ASLEF members on London Underground have voted for strike action in a dispute over pay rates and rosters. This latest dispute has been caused by the switch to 24 hour weekend operation later this year. Tube drivers have been offered a 2% rise this year and £2,000 for drivers on the night Tube.

How much money does a tube driver make?
The current Tube driver salary a little under £50,000 per annum. You can decide for yourself if the drivers are underpaid, and deserve more money.

To cheer yourself up on thursday, watch the London Underground song below:




And, to imagine a utopian vision of the future with no drivers, and no strikes - follow this link.

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