Expect serious problems if you’re planning to use the Tube in the coming days (Picture: EPA)
Londoners returning to the office this week could be hit by serious disruption on the Tube as workers prepare for industrial action.
Members of the RMT union voted in favour of action, including strikes, on December 19 after being offered a 5% pay increase by Transport for London (TfL).
If the dispute is not resolved in the next few days, various walkouts will take place between this Sunday and the following Friday.
Not all different roles among Underground staff will be going on strike at the same time, with the rolling action ensuring that the impacts will be keenly felt by commuters across the week.
It’s just one of several bouts of industrial action hitting Brits this month, as services including the NHS, fire brigades and bin collection set to be seriously disrupted.
Which Tube workers are striking, and when?
Here’s when and where the worst impacts of the strikes will be felt (Picture: TfL)
If the strikes go ahead as planned, the first day of action will be this Friday.
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January 7-8 – London Underground Control Centre and Power/Control workers will strike
January 8 – Full RMT London Underground staff strike
January 9 – Signallers and Service Controller workers will strike
January 10 – Full RMT London Underground staff strike
January 12 – Signallers and Service Controller workers will strike
How will the London Underground be affected?
Sunday’s major Arsenal match is expected to be impacted by the strikes (Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the strikes will have a significant impact on people hoping to use the Tube on those dates.
Among the events impacted will be Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Lines serving the stadium will ‘try to remain open longer’ beyond the expected 5.30pm cut-off, TfL said, in an effort to prevent crowd chaos in North London.
The transport body is advising fans to make their way straight to the trains following the end of the match, as the services will start to close from 7.30pm.
Here’s what they said about the rest of the week:
On Sunday 7 January, Tube services will end earlier than normal. Customers are advised to complete Tube journeys by 5:30pm
From Monday 8 to Thursday 11 January, severe disruption is expected, with little to no Tube service expected to run
On Friday 12 January, Tube services will start later than normal, with a good service expected by 12pm
Will the Elizabeth line be affected by the strikes?
The Elizabeth line is not technically part of the Underground network, so it isn’t directly affected by the strikes (Picture: TfL)
TfL has said the Elizabeth line will still be running over the strike period.
The London Overground, DLR, buses and trams will all continue travelling too.
However, these services ‘may be subject to last-minute changes’, and there’s a chance they might not stop at some stations that are shared with the Underground network.
They will almost certainly be a lot busier than normal too, so keep in mind that you’ll need to allow more time for travel if you can’t avoid it.
What are RMT and TfL saying about the industrial action?
RMT workers will be going on strike again (Picture: Gary Roberts Photography/Shutterstock)
Following the announcement of the strikes, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘The refusal of TfL to restore staff travel facilities and create a two-tier workforce is also unacceptable.
‘Our members have made it clear that they are prepared to take action and we urge TfL to improve their offer to avert disruption in the capital.’
Glynn Barton, the chief operating officer for Transport for London, said the 5% pay offer was the ‘most we can afford while ensuring that we can operate safely, reliably and sustainably’.
He added: ‘We encourage the RMT to engage with us to avoid disruption for Londoners.
‘We would like to advise anyone travelling during the strike days to check before they travel.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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Where’s when you can expect the worst disruption on the Underground.