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Travel Desk
Commuters today are faced with station closures throughout the London Underground network, despite the strike organised by the RMT and TSSA only affecting lines Circle, Hammersmith, the entire Piccadilly line this morning was shut with tube stations locked. Commenting on the RMTS decision to strike Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said:
“This strike action could not have come at a worse time with the capital only just beginning to find its feet after a difficult economic slowdown and many returning to work after the summer break. Londoners will still struggle in to work, aided by the additional transport laid on by the Mayor, but the capital will not be as productive as normal and our reputation as the world’s leading business centre will suffer.”
“We sincerely hope that this will be the last round of strike action and we urge both sides of the dispute to return to the negotiating table to find a quick resolution.”
Each day the Underground is shut it will cost the London economy £48 million.
The RMT will today leaflet members of the public at Euston station tomorrow to explain the core safety issues at the heart of the current dispute.
The reason for the strike according to the RMT are the current 800 job losses, amongst station and platform based staff, "are the thin end of the wedge as Mayor Boris Johnson and his officials look to slash billions from transport spending in the Capital to pay off the costs of the failed tube privatisation experiment and to meet ConDem government spending targets."
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
“We have laid out the clearest possible evidence to the Mayor and his officials that if he breaks his promises and slashes station staffing numbers he will be giving the green light to disaster and yet he is failing to take any account of the hard facts of these three recent incidents – each of which could have had lethal consequences.
“Boris Johnson opposed these very cuts before he was elected and now stands accused of rank political opportunism as his officials take the axe to safety standards right across the tube network with the prospect of worse to come this autumn. That’s what RMT and TSSA are striking over - the whole future of a safe tube system is now on the block.”
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