Londoners reacted with anger but little surprise today as yet another tube strike was announced – this time for the weekend before Christmas.
RMT workers on the Central Line will not work between 8pm on Friday, December 21 and 8pm on Saturday December 22.
The industrial action will hit the capital on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
Many Londoners took to Twitter to bemoan the latest strikes, complaining that they are becoming a ‘Christmas tradition’ and joking the union must be headed by the Grinch.
Tube passengers face another weekend of misery after the RMT called a strike for December
Londoners expressed their anger on Twitter, with some, including mayor candidate Shaun Bailey, taking aim at London mayor Sadiq Khan
The Central Line travels beneath London’s famous Oxford Street, meaning shoppers trying to get to the area will have to find alternative routes.
It comes after a strike on the same tube line earlier this month caused chaos for those trying to get to and from work.
The RMT says the strike is over ‘a failure to employ enough drivers, a wholesale abuse of agreed procedures and the victimisation of a trade union member’.
But Nick Dent, Director of Line Operations for London Underground, said: ‘The further strike action called by RMT remains totally unjustified.
‘They are demanding the reinstatement of a driver who was sacked for failing a drugs test, something for which we have zero tolerance.
‘We always strive to run a reliable service but our commitment to the safety of both customers and staff is absolute and something we will never compromise on.
‘I urge the unions to call off this entirely unnecessary strike action which will only cause disruption to our customers during the festive period.’
It comes after a similar strike earlier this month left workers struggling to get to work
The RMT say claim bosses are ‘attempting to single out and pick off individual members of staff’.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: ‘There is a growing culture on London Underground that revolves around refusing to employ enough drivers, bullying staff and expecting our members to pick up the pieces when the service breaks down.
‘RMT members on the Central Line have made it clear that they have had enough and are prepared to stand up and fight for workplace respect and justice.
‘Tube bosses are well aware of the level of anger on the job and it’s down to the them to take the situation seriously and engage in genuine talks around reaching a solution to the current disputes.’
The action is likely to cause problems on Oxford Street on the busy festive shopping weekend