Transport for London (TfL) is strongly encouraging people not to travel on Tuesday 21 June and early on Wednesday 22 June, unless absolutely necessary, due to planned industrial action being taken by the RMT and Unite unions. This comes ahead of a week of travel disruption across the country, which will impact London Underground, Overground and Elizabeth line services between 21 and 26 June.
TfL expects severe disruption or no service on all London Underground lines on Tuesday 21 June if the strike action goes ahead, with no services running before 08:00 on Wednesday 22 June. Customers are encouraged to avoid making journeys on 22 June until mid-morning.
If customers cannot avoid travelling on 21 June, they should expect severe disruption or no service on the Tube, and plan ahead and leave more time for journeys. Customers using any Underground services that are running are advised to complete their journey by 18:00. Bus services will be extremely busy. For the latest information on how TfL services are operating, please use TfL’s real-time travel tools, including status updates, Journey Planner and TfL Go. Travel advice for the strike action is available at tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike.
Services that are running on 21 June, including buses and DLR, are likely to be extremely busy with queues to board. Customers using DLR services from stations also served by London Underground are advised to check before they travel due to possible station closures for safety reasons. Walking or cycling may be quicker for some journeys and planning tools are available to plan walking journeys. Santander Cycles will be available, with teams ensuring that bikes are distributed at key locations according to demand. Rental e-scooters are also available to hire in some London boroughs.
The RMT and Unite’s action on Tuesday 21 June coincides with RMT strike action across national rail services on the same day, limiting alternative travel options. There are further strikes planned on national rail services on Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June, which will impact parts of the TfL network and mean customers connecting with national rail services should check before they travel.
There will be a reduced service on the London Overground and Elizabeth line on the days when strike action is planned – 21, 23 and 25 June – due to the national rail strike and its impacts on shared track and assets. The London Overground will run a reduced service between 07:30-18:30 on these days. On Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June, London Underground will operate as much of the network as possible, However, disruption is expected from Queen’s Park to Harrow & Wealdstone on the Bakerloo line, on the Richmond and Wimbledon branches of the District line, on the Waterloo & City line, and on the Elizabeth line. There is also the potential for disruption due to the strike impacting London Underground staff availability, meaning customers should still check before they travel.
Disruption from the national rail strike will continue to affect customers on the mornings when no strike action is planned, so on Wednesday 22, Friday 24 and Sunday 26 June. London Underground customers using sections of lines affected by national rail strike action are encouraged to avoid making journeys until mid-morning on each of these days.
In addition, continued RMT strike action on Night Tube services is planned on the evening of 24 and 25 June. Despite this strike action, TfL is running a good service on the Victoria line and a regular service on the Jubilee line, with at least three trains per hour. There’s also a regular service on the Central line with at least two trains per hour through central London.
Andy Lord, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “I want to apologise to customers who will be impacted by the RMT and Unite’s strike action next week. The action on 21 June, taking place at the same time as the national rail strike, will have a severe impact on the London Underground network, resulting in very little to no service on all lines, which is why we’re encouraging people to avoid travel unless completely necessary, as the majority of Tube stations will be closed and services not running.
“Alternatives to the Tube are likely to be much busier than usual and we expect the severe disruption caused by this strike to continue into the morning of Wednesday 22 June. I’m very sorry for the impact this will have on people’s journeys.
“This strike is particularly frustrating as it comes so soon after industrial action earlier this month, no changes have been proposed to pensions and nobody has or will lose their job as a result of the proposals we have set out. We’re urging the RMT and Unite to call off this strike and to work with us to find a resolution and avoid the huge disruption this action will cause to people’s journeys and to our economic recovery.”
This disruptive action comes as part of separate disputes with both the RMT, over pensions, jobs and conditions, and with Unite over pay. This is despite the fact no proposals have been tabled on pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals TfL has set out. TfL met the RMT and Unite unions at the conciliation service ACAS this morning and, although no resolution was reached, is keen to take part in further talks in the hope that this strike can be called off. Pay talks with Unite and other recognised unions in the area are due to start imminently.
As part of previous funding agreements, the Government has required TfL to work towards achieving financial sustainability on its operations by April 2023. This means TfL must speed up its pre-pandemic savings programme. As part of this, TfL has been engaging with its trade unions and staff to seek their views on how it can make London Underground more efficient and financially sustainable, while continuing to deliver the highest standards of safety, reliability and customer service. TfL has committed to its staff and trade unions that the safety of staff and customers will always remain paramount and the changes will protect as many jobs as possible for the people who work for TfL today, allowing more flexibility to adapt to changing customer requirements.
TfL has proposed not recruiting into around 500 to 600 posts as they become vacant – including 250 currently unfilled Tube station posts. London Underground stations will remain staffed at all times while trains are operating, with more than 4,500 station staff available across the network to assist customers and keep them safe, supplemented by enforcement teams and police. This will bring staffing levels in line with customer need while protecting as many jobs as possible. TfL is urging the RMT to work with it to find a resolution and avoid the disruption and damage another strike will cause to London and the economy.
Further information will be available ahead of, and during, the strikes on TfL’s website as well as on Journey Planner and TfL Go.
Photo credit: TfL
