ASLEF members on London Underground will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday March 15th.

ASLEF members on London Underground will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday March 15th.

Tube train drivers voted by 99% in favour of strikes on a turnout out of 77% in a dispute over management failure to accept that changes to working arrangements and pensions should only happen by agreement.

ASLEF members in other roles on the Underground including Test Train and Engineering train drivers and those in management grades also voted in favour of strikes by similar huge margins and will strike on the same day.

The size of these Yes votes and the large turnouts show that our members are not prepared to put up any longer with the threats to their working conditions and pensions

We understand that TfL faces financial challenges post pandemic, but our members are simply not prepared to pay the price of the government’s failure to properly fund London’s public transport system.

Cuts to safety training have already been forced through and management are open that they plan to remove all current working agreements under the guise of “modernisation” and “flexibility” and to replace the agreed attendance and discipline policies. Proposals to slash pension benefits are due to be announced in the next week.

We are always prepared to discuss and negotiate on changes, but our members want an unequivocal commitment from TfL that management will not continue to force through detrimental changes without agreement.

Unless they are prepared to work with us and accept that changes have to come by agreement and bring real benefits to staff, rather than cuts and cost savings, this will be just the first day of action in a protracted dispute

Finn Brennan

ASLEF District Organiser.