The London Underground was paralyzed by the strike

After Almost three months ago there was a major public transport strike over payA new strike on the London Underground affected millions of users on Thursday 10 November, called by several unions opposing plans to cut costs within Greater London’s public transport management company, Transport for London (TfL).

The world’s oldest metro ground to a complete halt Thursday morning, with most lines at a complete standstill and some with very limited service. only A very young Elizabeth lineIt opened last May and has been operating normally, with only a few stations closed in the center of the capital.

The London Underground normally carries five million passengers a day, but has been rocked by several strikes in recent months. While some Londoners have opted to telework, the practice has become widespread after the Covid-19 pandemic, with many returning by bike, car and buses – many of them crowded on Thursday.

Pensions and wages under attack

National union RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport), which has called for strike action, is particularly opposed to 600 job cuts at Metro stations and TfL’s plans to overhaul funding for officers’ retirement pensions. For a statement. TfL, weighed down by the pandemic, concluded a funding deal with the government at the end of August, although it did not meet the public operator’s requirements.

“These attacks [du statut des salariés] are profoundly unjustified and wholly unnecessary”, the union believes, saying it has put forward plans to suspend the strike which have been rejected by TfL. According to Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite, who called the strike, ‘TfL is unnecessarily attacking our members’ pensions and salaries, which the unit cannot accept’He said in a statement.

“No plans or conditions have been put forward to change the pension system.”Glynn Barton, a TfL official, made the pledge in a statement on Tuesday after talks with unions broke down.

The strike comes at a time when the UK is experiencing a surge in social movements against a backdrop of record inflation and a crisis in the cost of living. On Wednesday, nurses voted for an unprecedented national strike to demand better pay.

Ask for more The economy, the politics… why everything is going wrong in the United Kingdom