BA and Tube unions plot even more strike chaos
MILITANT trade unions are poised to inflict further travel chaos on the public, with British Airways and London Underground staff planning fresh strikes next month. Union bosses yesterday unleashed another round of walkouts, amid growing pressure on Theresa May to introduce tougher anti- strike legislation.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union, which has caused months of disruption on Southern Rail, yesterday turned its sights on the London Underground.
Members of the RMT will walk out for 16 hours from 6pm on February 5, and for 15 hours from 10am on February 7, in a row over jobs and the closure of Tube ticket offices. The strike will affect all lines on the Underground, causing major disruption for millions of commuters and tourists. The RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association ( TSSA) staged a 24- hour strike earlier this month which crippled Tube services.
The RMT said further strikes will be staged in March once they are determined and agreed. More than 3,000 RMT station staff members were balloted for action over the impact on safety from the axing of nearly 900 front-line workers alongside the closure of ticket offices.
The unions have warned that the job cuts have left safety on a ‘knife edge’ with repeated reports of dangerous overcrowding on stations and platforms.
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said the ‘constant overcrowding on stations and platforms’ means it ‘is only a matter of time before there is a major tragedy’.
Holidaymakers also face the prospect of further disruption next month, with BA cabin crew set to stage two threeday walkouts.
Members of Unite will walk out on February 5, 6 and 7 and again for three days from February 9.
The union claims members of BA’s so- called mixed fleet, who joined the airline after 2010, are on worse pay rates than other staff. The crew went on strike last week, but the airline said only a small number of flights had to be cancelled. In total there were five days of strike action by cabin crew this month.
Unite was heavily criticised for orchestrating a strike on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but suspended the walkouts after receiving an improved pay offer from BA.
Last night furious MPs said the wave of strikes were politically motivated and that the public has had enough.
Chris Philp, Tory MP for Croydon, who has led calls for tougher anti-strike legislation, said: ‘ This underlines the need for legislation to raise the bar for strikes on public infrastructure.
‘The right to strike needs to be balanced with the public’s right to get on with their dayto-day lives – which the unions obviously have no regard for.’
RMT president Sean Hoyle has admitted the wave of industrial action across the UK is designed to ‘bring down the bloody working-class-hating Tory Government’.
Will Quince, a Tory member of the Commons transport committee, said: ‘ The unions are quickly turning off people who may have had sympathy for their cause.
‘These further disruptions to people’s everyday lives cause disruption and chaos.
‘There is only so much the public will tolerate.’
British Airways last night promised to minimise disruption for passengers.
Steve Griffiths, London Underground’s chief operating officer, said yesterday: ‘This threat of strike action is completely unnecessary.
‘We invited both unions to continue talks at ACAS today in a bid to resolve this dispute. We are still in talks with the TSSA union but the RMT refused to join us today. We urge the RMT to continue talking to us so that we can reach a resolution.’
‘Disruption and chaos’