The entire Tube network is expected to be disrupted as London Underground staff stage the first of two 24-hour strikes, starting from 12.01am on Tuesday, 1 March.

The walkout will affect all lines, with commuters advised to work from home where possible.

The RMT union has blamed the dispute on “a financial crisis at LUL (London Underground Limited)”, which general secretary Mick Lynch described as being “deliberately engineered by the government”.

Transport for London (TfL) has warned travellers to expect “severe disruption to all lines and stations throughout the day [and the] possibility of no London Underground services.”

A second 24-hour strike begins a day later, running from 12.01am on Thursday, 3 March.

Commuters are encouraged to walk or cycle where possible; London buses, TfL Rail, National Rail, DLR, London Overground and Tram services will all be in operation, but are expected to be busier than usual.

Passengers have been advised to allow more time for their journeys during the industrial action

Why is the RMT striking?

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are striking in protest at what they regard to be a threat to jobs and pensions.

TfL have announced plans to axe between 500 and 600 station postsand review TfL’s generous pension scheme in a bid to save cash.

An independent review commissioned by Mayor Sadiq Khan before the pandemic found that reforming the TfL pension scheme could save £100m a year from 2025.

This has led to fears among union members that their pensions could be at risk.

A ballot held by the RMT in December was overwhelmingly in favour of striking or taking action short of a strike if TfL introduced changes to their work benefits without consultation.

Of the 51.7 per cent of eligible RMT members who voted, 4,900 members voted yes and only 307 voted no.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members will be taking strike action [next week] because a financial crisis at London Underground has been deliberately engineered by the Government to drive a cuts’ agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and pensions.”

Lynch added: “The sheer scale of that threat was confirmed in talks.

“These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods.

“The politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.

“In addition to the strike action RMT is co-ordinating a campaign of resistance with colleagues from other unions impacted by this threat.”Talks at arbitration service Acas that could have seen the strikes postponed broke down last night, because according to the RMT, TfL “confirmed all the union’s worst fears that nothing is off the table in terms of the threat to jobs, pensions, conditions and safety”.

Homepolicy.co.uk is Londons best Home Breakdown Cover. Protecting your Boiler, central heating, electrics, plumbing, Drainage and with an added annual boiler service or Landlords Gas Safety Report.

JOIN HomePolicy TODAY.