London Underground strike April 2018: Date, time and what lines are affected as Tube drivers plan 24-hour walkout
You may have heard the capital’s next Tube strike is on the cards, and it is now going to be held next week.
Here’s the detail on what’s occurring when, and what parts of the London Underground are likely to be affected – along with any chance of it being called off…
Read more: A 24-hour Tube strike has now been set for next month
When is it?
The strike will be a 24-hour one on Wednesday 11 April.
Who is involved?
The walkout has been called by the train drivers’ union Aslef, with members at Acton Town striking for a day next month in a row over the handling of a driver’s reported safety breaches.
What services will be affected?
The District Line will be disrupted by the strike, with TfL saying it anticipates running about 60 per cent of service on the line if the walkout goes ahead.
What is the strike about?
Aslef’s organiser on the London Underground Finn Brennan said Underground managers had been picking and choosing which policies they apply.
“Threatening individuals with disciplinary action, refusing to talk, and leaving our members with no other option than to take strike action is not the progressive approach we expect to see from Transport for London,” he said.
TfL disputes Aslef’s version of events, saying no disciplinary action has been taken against the driver in question.
“A driver had a number of safety incidents in their first few months of driving and, in line with our agreed policies, was offered an alternative role on our stations which they agreed to,” a spokesperson said. “There is no cause for a dispute, and we call on the unions to continue working with us to ensure the safety of our customers and staff.”
Is it likely to impact on any other parts of the transport network?
The strike is only set for the District Line, but there is often some knock-on impact onto other lines and forms of transport when industrial action goes ahead, and TfL will likely provide more information closer to the time on what could be affected here.
The union has also said it has given London Underground notice that members at Earl’s Court depot on the District Line will be balloted for strike action over the next few weeks too, so action could spread.
Wait a second – wasn’t a strike meant to be happening next week?
Yes. Initially a 24-hour walkout was set for Wednesday 28 March. But Aslef called that off as there was a flaw in the statutory notice, so the union had to reballot staff. Now, a fresh date has been called for this month.
Any chance it will get called off?
TfL has called on the unions to continue working with the transport body and call off the dispute, and last-minute agreements have been struck before.
This page will be updated closer as the walkout date approaches with any details on talks between the union and TfL, and any progress.
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