TfL Tube strike latest: no progress in talks, as Londoners are told to walk to work

Commuters queue for buses during a Tube strike in January
Jeremy Selwyn
Tom Powell3 October 2017

No services will run on most of the Tube network on Thursday if the 24-hour drivers’ strike goes ahead, transport bosses have warned.

Some lines are likely to stop running early on Wednesday evening and start later on Friday because of the planned walkout by members of the drivers' union Aslef in a dispute over working practices.

Transport for London (TfL) issued the warning as talks continued at the conciliation service Acas to try to avert the industrial action. However little progress had been made on Tuesday afternoon as the strike looms.

Road journeys could take "significantly" longer, especially around Wembley because of England's World Cup qualifier against Slovenia.

People are being urged to walk if they can, while more than 200 extra buses will be provided.

Nigel Holness, director of network operations for London Underground, said: "Should the planned strike action go ahead, there will be substantial disruption.

"We will do everything possible to ensure customers can get around on alternative transport services and have the right information to help them do this.

"We are committed to ensuring that our employees are able to maintain a good balance between their work and personal lives and we have been working closely with the unions on new ways to achieve this.

"I encourage the Aslef leadership to continue working with us constructively rather than moving towards unnecessary strike action."

A spokesman for TfL said talks were still ongoing on Tuesday afternoon as the two sides continue to search for a solution.

​Aslef organiser Finn Brennan previously said: “As part of the settlement of the dispute over the introduction of Night Tube, LU agreed to introduce a mechanism to allow drivers to reduce the number of shifts they work, on a pro-rata basis, and ‘new ways of working’ to reduce the percentage of weekend shifts worked by July this year.

“They have repeatedly refused to make any detailed proposals to do so. Deadlines have repeatedly been missed and promises broken while our detailed proposals to resolve these issues have been ignored.”

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