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London commuters face delays
London commuters faced delays when a 24-hour strike by 4,000 Underground staff entered its second day.
Millions of commuters in London face possible delays on Monday when a 24-hour strike by about 4,000 London Underground staff enters its second day.
The walkout by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union in a row over new work rosters had little impact on services after it began at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, London Underground said.
On Sunday, LU said only 12 of its 275 stations were closed due to the strike.
"London Underground is running full services on all lines," the company said in a statement late on Sunday. "Almost all stations are open and the majority of staff are working normally."
It said it would try to run the best service possible again on Monday but advised passengers to plan their journeys in advance and to check its Web site (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube) for the latest information.
The RMT says the new routes would reduce station staffing levels, leading to increased safety risks and hampering the ability to deal with emergencies.
However, Mike Brown, the LU chief operating officer, said the rosters had been agreed at 90 per cent of stations.
"A year ago a deal was reached which was hailed by both sides. London Underground is sticking to that agreement," he said.
"This strike is completely unnecessary. All this strike will do is disrupt Londoners to one degree or another and lose those who take part another day's pay."
London mayor Ken Livingstone also called for the RMT to call off its action.
"It would not be in anyone's interests to suspend the introduction of the new rosters," he said.
"That would simply be to tear up an agreement that was rightly hailed by both sides at the time and the detailed implementation of which has been agreed by the huge majority of stations.
However, RMT general secretary Bob Crow said if the dispute was not settled it could escalate further and warned the union could take further action from the end of the month leading to a complete closure of the network.
