Just 53 London Overground staff voted for this weekend’s strike
LONDON Overground users are facing a bank holiday weekend of travel chaos due to strike action – despite just 53 staff voting for the walkout.
Transport for London has unveiled plans to sack 130 guards on the network as part of a cost cutting measure, prompting Bob Crow’s RMT union to ballot for strike action against compulsory redundancies.
But just 43 per cent of eligible train guards voted in favour, leading to criticism that the rules are too lax.
Richard Tracey, Conservative transport spokesman on the Greater London Assembly, said the situation “is absurd” and strikes should require majority support.
“If London had introduced 50 per cent plus one back in 2005 – which requires a majority of all eligible trade union members having to vote ‘yes’ for strike action to go ahead – there would have been four days of strikes rather than 30 days,” he said.
There is expected to be severe disruption through north London on routes from Clapham Junction and Richmond to Stratford. Rail replacement bus services will be running for much of Sunday and Monday, although the Overground hopes to run some services.
Overground services on the East London Line from Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace, Croydon and Clapham Junction will be suspended on Sunday due to unrelated engineering works.