London tube strikes start today
Read below to see if you're affected
London Tube drivers have been on strike since this morning at around 4.30am in dispute over rosters.
The 24-hour strike will affect five Tube lines - Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria.
The strikes could also disrupt the re-introduction of Night Tube services on the Central and Victoria lines from the evening of Saturday 27th November, Transport for London (TfL) has said.
Both lines are expected to be severely disrupted from 7pm onwards, with little to no service, from this time overnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The action is likely to last from Saturday 27th November to Sunday 19th December.
The Night Tube was suspended because of the pandemic and was due to restart this weekend.
Londoners are advised to check before they travel and use buses to complete their journeys when needed.
Tube management to blame for disruptions says drivers union
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union have organised the walkouts in a dispute over rosters.
The union said new shifts are being imposed on staff which will affect their work-life balance.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "This strike is about the ripping apart of popular and family-friendly agreements that helped make the original Night Tube such a success.
"Instead the company want to cut costs and lump all drivers into a pool where they can be kicked from pillar to post at the behest of the management.
"We have made every effort in Acas and direct talks since the off to resolve this dispute but it is clear that LU bosses are driven solely by the bottom line and have no interest whatsoever in the wellbeing of their staff or the service to passengers.
"This strike action, and its serious consequences in the run-up to Christmas, was avoidable if the Tube management hadn't axed dedicated Night Tube staff and perfectly workable arrangements in order to cut staffing numbers and costs."
The union's action threatens London's recovery from the pandemic says Tube boss
Nick Dent, director of London Underground customer operations, said: "The RMT's planned strike action is needless and it will threaten London's recovery from the pandemic, despite no job losses and more flexibility and job certainty for drivers."
"While every other union has agreed to these changes and our staff have been enjoying the benefits of the changes since August, we're willing to work with the RMT and review the changes after Night Tube services have returned.
Mr Dent added that every other union has agreed to the roster changes and has been enjoying the benefits since August.
"This review can only be successful if the RMT agrees to meet us for talks and withdraws its proposed action so we can all see how these changes will work in practice," he said.
"If the RMT refuses to engage with us and carries out its unnecessary action, which is timed to cause maximum disruption for our customers looking to enjoy London during the festive season, Londoners are advised to check before they travel on days of planned strike action."