London Tube strike: RMT announce walk out after Jubilee bank holiday

The RMT accuse transport bosses of trying to bulldoze through 600 job losses on London Underground

A 24-hour walkout across the London Underground will take place after the Queen's Platinum Jubilee bank holiday weekend, a rail union has announced.

About 4,000 station staff are set to walk out at 00:01 BST on 6 June in a dispute over job losses and pensions.

The strike is separate from a smaller walkout planned for 3 June at Euston and Green Park stations.

Transport for London (TfL) said it would do "everything we can to minimise any disruption".

Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) general secretary Mick Lynch accused TfL of "trying to bulldoze through 600 job losses on London Underground".

"Our members are not prepared to accept that," he said.

"Instead of seeking to cut jobs, TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan need to put further pressure on the government to secure increased funding for the network so we can have a properly staffed modern 21st-Century tube."

Commuters faced large queues for rail services during strike action in March

The action is likely to force the closure of almost all stations in zone 1, although overground services are expected to remain open.

As part of the financial support agreed between TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT), the mayor of London has had to make £400m in savings, raise up to £1bn in extra revenue, and carry out a review of TfL's pension fund.

To meet these targets TfL has proposed to close 600 posts on the Underground.

It said no one would lose their job and the cuts would come through not replacing staff who had left or were going to retire.

A review of TfL's pension scheme found reforming it could save TfL up to £182.4m a year.

Andy Lord, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: "We are extremely disappointed that the RMT has announced unnecessary strike action on 6 June and share Londoners' frustrations that this, and the linked action short of a strike, has been designed to disrupt the Jubilee weekend.

"It is particularly surprising that the RMT has threatened to spoil this moment when the nation is coming together as nobody has or will lose their jobs as a result of the proposals we have set out and there have been no proposals on pension changes."

All lines on the TfL network were affected by two 24-hour strikes in March when 10,000 RMT members walked out.

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