Gary Harbord, RMT LU train grades secretary, personal capacity
RMT members on London Underground (LU) are taking strike action from 5 January in an ongoing dispute over pay, after 95% voted to take action.
The week’s rolling action is likely to have a significant impact as engineers, fleet, power control, signallers, stations and trains go out on different days. This is the most concerted strike action on the tube that the union has called in decades.
The company’s offer of 5% was roundly rejected by a mass meeting of reps back in December, and by over 90% in a ballot, showing the resolve of the members for a better pay increase. Unfortunately, Aslef, the train drivers’ union, recommended acceptance of the offer and this was agreed in a referendum.
The RMT has consistently rejected the narrative that the money isn’t there. Senior managers paid themselves £12 million in bonuses over the last 12 months. Andy Lord, the Transport for London (TfL) commissioner, received a £40,000 pay increase in 2023. Levels of footfall are back to pre-Covid levels creating a surplus across LU.
As part of our claim we are demanding parity with Elizabeth Line and London Overground staff, who get concessionary travel on national rail. Both the Elizabeth Line and Overground come under the umbrella of TfL and LU staff should not be treated any differently.
The Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan needs to recognise the crucial role that LU workers play in the London economy. He needs to stand with the unions and demand that central government provides the funding necessary for a transport system that is cheap, safe, and that treats its workforce with dignity.
