London tube drivers consider fresh strike action over night services

London Underground (LU) drivers are considering three days of strike action in a row over the Night Tube, the BBC reported Monday.

In an internal document seen by the BBC, the train drivers' union Aslef proposes 24-hour strikes on 27 January 27 and February 15 and 17.

The union's executive committee will meet on Monday to consider the action.

London Underground accused Aslef of "making excessive demands for more money" by suggesting the action.

The Night Tube, which was due to begin in September, will see 24-hour services on five lines on Fridays and Saturdays.

In the document, Aslef said it had been left no other choice than to call a strike as, it claims, LU had refused all approaches for talks since their last meeting on 10 November.

The Aslef document said: "We genuinely regret the inconvenience that will be caused but the behavior of London Underground's senior management team have left us with no other choice.

"We want to see an all-night service introduced and we are not opposed to the recruitment of part-time staff but we will not accept a zero-hours culture being introduced and working conditions undermined."

A 24-hour service on the Jubilee, Victoria, Piccadilly, Central and Northern lines had been due to start at weekends on 12 September.

LU claims the Night Tube is needed to deal with huge demand from passengers, especially at weekends, and is "pivotal" to the city's economy with government estimates it would add £6.4bn to the London economy by 2030.

Its longer-term aim is to extend night-time services to the Metropolitan, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines by 2021, to the London Overground in 2017 and the Docklands Light Railway by 2021.

Source: MENA