People wait for buses in the rain during Tuesday’s strike action (PA)
(Picture: PA)Anyone caught in the rain this morning while waiting for a bus or an alternate mode of transport is unlikely to be feeling too sympathetic to the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) right now, although they will feel they were justified in taking strike action.
The RMT are unhappy about potential changes to the Transport for London pension scheme, which has been described as “generous”, and the loss of 500 to 600 jobs from station posts – although TfL say these changes will be made up from already departing staff.
The whole row has largely come about due to the losses that the organisation has sustained during the pandemic, with TfL now on their fourth government bailout, totalling around £5bn.
However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan feels his hands are tied in this situation, and has hit back at the RMT who said his “political failure” led to this week’s Tube strikes.
Mr Khan said: “Had I declined support from the Government, had I not acceded to the conditions attached by the Government, TfL would have gone bankrupt. TfL going bankrupt means every single person employed by TfL loses their job, and that includes not just RMT workers but workers from other unions and indeed those workers who are not a member of any union.
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