Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and transport spokesperson, commenting on the news that a 48-hour Tube strike will now almost certainly go ahead from 9.00 pm tonight after talks broke down between London Underground and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said:
“This is a totally unnecessary strike which will have devastating impact for London’s economy and create the greatest disruption for ordinary Londoners, such as teachers and nurses. The cause of this strike is a dubious mix of poor leadership by London Underground management and a leadership battle within the RMT positioning for strike action.
“Greater use of technology must be adopted at Tube stations and getting some staff out from quiet ticket offices makes sense, but it is simply wrong to consider ending ticket offices at such busy stations as Waterloo and London Bridge.
Londoners also need an absolute assurance from TfL that stations will be fully staffed from first train in the morning right through to the very last train at night.“On Tuesday and Wednesday Londoners will pay a heavy price for poor leadership by London Underground and a stubborn determination by the RMT to strike and not negotiate.”