Strike on Piccadilly Line Looks Set to Go Ahead from Tonight

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RMT union's industrial action coincides with Donald Trump's UK visit

A 52 hour strike by tube drivers on the Piccadilly line looks set to go ahead from 9pm tonight, Wednesday 11 June until 1am on Saturday 14 July.

Transport for London says talks with the RMT union to resolve the strike action are continuing, but if the strike goes ahead, there will be no service on the Piccadilly line throughout this period including the Night Tube on Friday 13 July.

The planned action coincides with Donald Trump's arrival in the UK on 13 July, though most of his stay will take place outside London where protests are planned, including the flying of an 'angry baby' balloon over the Houses of Parliament.

TfL is advising customers to complete journeys on the Piccadilly line by 10pm tonight and expect there to be no service from 11pm. Services will resume on Saturday morning with the line running with delays until 9am.

For customers travelling between Heathrow airport and central London, TfL Rail and Heathrow Express services will be available to and from London Paddington station.

All other Tube lines are expected to run as normal, but TfL expect them to be busier than usual.

Interchange stations along the Piccadilly line - Finsbury Park, Green Park, Hammersmith, and King's Cross St. Pancras stations in particular - will be much busier than usual. Additional buses will be in operation to help customers complete their journeys.

Nigel Holness, TfL's Director of Network Operations for London Underground, said: "Customers are advised to check TfL journey planner for the latest journey information to see whether the strike is going ahead this week.

"I urge the RMT Leadership to work with us constructively on the local issues they have raised, so that Londoners aren't subjected to disruption."

TfL says Travel Ambassadors will be at key locations to provide travel information and advice to customers affected by action on either line.

Customers can keep up-to-date with the latest service information in a variety of ways, including:

• Information on the TfL tube strike
• Real-time information on the TfL Twitter accounts, including @TfLTravelAlerts and @piccadillyline, as well as the TfL Travelbot on Facebook messenger

The union say they are taking action after what they describe as a series of attacks on working conditions and staffing levels that have turned the line into a pressure cooker.

They claim there is a continued failure by London Underground (LU) to employ enough drivers, continued problems with the ageing Piccadilly Line fleet and the repeated breaking of ‎agreements which has tipped industrial relations over the edge. It was recently announced that LU have awarded a contract to build a new fleet of trains for the Piccadilly line but these won't be in service until 2023.

General Secretary Mick Cash said: "There have been repeated problems on the Piccadilly Line going back a number of years which have led to dispute after dispute and the failure of LU management to get a grip has tipped the situation over the edge yet again. That is why we have had no option but to put on these strike dates.

"Every effort by RMT reps to negotiate a settlement has been obstructed by the company and it is now down to LU bosses to start listening to their members, take the raft of issues at the heart of this dispute seriously and start engaging in a way that will allow us to make some genuine progress."

Nigel Holness, director of network operations at LU, said: "We urge the RMT leadership to work with us constructively on the local issues they have raised rather than threaten to disrupt our customers.

"We remain available for talks to prevent any unnecessary industrial action on the Piccadilly line."

Separately, strike action is also planned by train maintenance staff at the Central Line Ruislip depot in a row over pay.

If it goes ahead, it will take place from 7am on Thursday 12 July to 7am on Friday 13 July,then from 7pm on Friday 13 July to 7am Saturday 14 July, and from 7am on Sunday 15 July to 7pm the same day.

July 11, 2018