Chelsea and Fulham MP, Greg Hands, has strongly condemned Bob Crow and RMT union leaders for inflicting a 48hr tube strike on London this week. Hammersmith & Fulham, according to the most recent census, has more Tube users than any other Borough in Britain, so the strike was bound to be disruptive to Greg’s constituents. Nearly all lines on the Underground system were affected by the walk out, including local District Line services and Fulham Broadway station was also closed. However, thanks to over 1,000 Underground staff and specially trained volunteers, acting as Tube Ambassadors, Transport for London (TfL) was able to operate a partial service on most lines, including the District Line through Fulham and Chelsea, at around 35% of overall regular capacity, with around 70% of Tube stations open.
Greg Hands joined commuters seeking to avoid disruption by seeking other means of travel including bus, rail, and walking. Greg travelled by bus (11 and 211) to work both days, returning on the reduced service District Line. Data from TfL revealed that nearly nine in 10 (86 per cent) regular Oyster customers travelled on Tube, rail, bus, DLR and London Overground services in the capital by early evening on Wednesday, despite the unnecessary strike action called by the leaderships of the RMT and TSSA unions.
Meanwhile photos appeared in the press showing the RMT general secretary Bob Crow sunbathing on a beach in Rio de Janeiro as part of a £10,000 cruise holiday in South America, just days before the first 48 hour walk-out. A second strike is planned for next week 11th - 13th February.
Greg Hands said: “These strikes have been selfishly and needlessly imposed on London, by militant union barons, with only 30% of London Underground workers voting positively in favour of strike action. It is particularly galling to learn that RMT Leader Bob Crow spent last week on holiday in Brazil, while Londoners cope with the disruption he has caused this week back home. I am however pleased that many commuters were able to travel, and I congratulate the great effort of TfL volunteers. It shows what a resilient city London is and that these bullying tactics won’t work.”
The strikes were called in response to the Mayor and London Underground setting out plans for the future of the Tube at the end of last year. They hope this will include a 24 hours service at weekends, move station staff away from ticket offices to help customers on platforms and ticket halls, and improve customers’ experience and safety.
Greg added: “I welcome these plans for the future of the Tube and I know many customers including those in Chelsea and Fulham are looking forward to 24 hours service at weekends from 2015 and more staff visible and available at stations to help them buy the right ticket, plan their journeys and keep them safe and secure. It is therefore all the more disappointing that a minority of union militants is acting against the interests of a great many people. The RMT and TSSA should do the right thing, call off this completely unnecessary strike and work with TfL to help shape the future of the Tube.”
The strike action was also condemned by other senior government figures. The prime minister's official spokesman said David Cameron "thinks that Bob Crow's strike is plain wrong and Bob Crow should call it off rather than inflict misery on hard-working families in London".
Meanwhile, The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said the strike actions makes him "furious" because it is "completely unnecessary and wrong”, adding “It is absolutely outrageous that London, the motor of the UK economy - now contributing 25% of GDP - should be held to ransom by this tiny minority. We are talking here about an essential public service, on which millions depend for their livelihoods".
Johnson said of the potential job losses: "There are no compulsory redundancies, no one is being forced out. We have had 1,000 expressions of interest. It is entirely driven by technology to get the staff out [from] behind the plate glass and bring them into concourses and so bring down crime."