Commuters face a fourth day of travel misery on Friday because of the impact of industrial action by thousands of workers which has crippled Tube services in London.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) staged a 24-hour strike on Thursday in a deadlocked dispute over jobs, pensions and conditions, which led to most services being suspended for the second time this week.
Transport for London (TfL) warned that services would be affected until 8am on Friday because of a similar knock-on impact which disrupted the Underground on Wednesday morning.
The union’s executive will meet to decide its next move in the bitter row, with further stoppages not being ruled out.
Picket lines were mounted outside Tube stations on Thursday and the union said its members were showing “magnificent” support for the industrial action.
There were long queues again for buses and taxis, although not as long as on Tuesday, as many people decided to work from home rather than spend hours trying to get to and from offices.
The RMT fears that spending cuts linked to a funding deal by the Government will lead to hundreds of job losses, reduced pensions and worse working conditions.
Andy Lord, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: “Services will be severely impacted until mid-morning on Friday because of a number of factors including the placement of drivers and trains following a day without service.
“I apologise to customers for this and understand they will be frustrated by this strike action, but urge them not to take it out on those who are trying to help.
“We haven’t proposed any changes to pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has lost or will lose their jobs because of the proposals we have set out, so this action is completely unnecessary.
“We know our customers deserve better than this continued disruption and that is why we’re urging the RMT to talk to us so we can find a resolution to this dispute which has already damaged London’s recovery from the pandemic.”
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members across London Underground are making it crystal clear that they are not going to be used as pawns in a political fight between the mayor and the Government which threatens their futures and their livelihoods.
“The funding crisis at TfL which is at the heart of this dispute is not of our making and our members are not prepared to take a hammering to pay for it.
“This week we have seen workers fighting back across London against attacks on themselves and their colleagues from political machinations that are out of their control.
“They have sent out the clearest possible message that they expect the threats to jobs and pensions to be lifted and basic assurances to be given.
“The fight goes on and our executive will consider the next steps in the campaign.
“We remain available for talks with those in a position to offer a concrete solution rather than the hollow words we have been hearing from the mayor and his senior officials.
“We have repeatedly offered a way forward and it’s time for those calling the shots to start listening.”
An RMT spokesman said: “We intend to take whatever action is required to achieve a satisfactory outcome in our campaign to protect jobs and pensions.”
