Some London Overground and Docklands Light Railway services may also be affected by a 24-hour strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, with buses expected to be extremely busy and roads congested. Elizabeth Line trains will run as normal. Around 10,000 RMT members working on London Underground and Arriva Rail (London Overground) will strike. The disruption will continue until the Friday morning rush hour as staff return to work. Transport for London (TfL) plans to reduce the number of station staff it employs and has agreed to “develop options” for consultation on reducing its pension liabilities as part of a funding settlement with central government. TfL has pledged that no jobs will be cut through the cost-cutting plans, which will reduce staff numbers by around 600, and said no proposals have been tabled to cut pensions. The union accused TfL of rejecting a last-ditch offer to call off strike action if the transport authority agreed to halt the plans and commit to protecting workers’ pensions. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said TfL had “missed a golden opportunity”, adding: “TfL needs to start making compromises and work with the union to reach a deal that works for staff and avoids further disruptions in the lives of passengers. “ Glynn Barton, TfL’s chief operating officer, apologized to passengers. He said TfL had met with the RMT to urge them to call off the ube strike, adding: “Unfortunately, an agreement could not be reached but we remain open to discussions as there is still time for the unions to call off this action.” The metro strike comes after three 24-hour strikes on the national railway planned for this week were called off last Friday. Some commuters on long-distance trains will still experience some disruption on Wednesday despite the warning. Avanti West Coast, which operates fast trains on the line linking London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, said it hoped to eventually operate more services during the day and later in the evening, but on Tuesday it was still advertising the published timetable of the strike day. Fewer trains were scheduled to run, starting later and finishing by mid-afternoon. This week’s suspension of national rail strikes raised hopes of a breakthrough, with intensive talks restarting between Network Rail and the RMT – as well as unions TSSA and Unite, which have also called off planned industrial action, but they have less staff and less power to stop trains. Network Rail said there was no new pay offer on the table beyond its 8% rise over two years with a £500 bonus for the lowest pay and 75% unlimited rail travel discount – but it has extended the period during which does not guarantee compulsory redundancies until the end of January 2025. It also suspended the consultation on the implementation of new working practices, which was proceeding without a union agreement. The RMT is polling members for a new six-month strike term and the result is expected next week. Financial support for the damaged railway could also be squeezed by the government in Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement on November 17, which could focus all parties on reaching an agreement sooner. Formal talks between train operators and unions are expected to follow any deal for Network Rail. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The national executive committee of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, met yesterday but did not call for further strike action. It has announced a ban on overtime on the LNER – a move that could affect major east coast long-distance services, including trains between London, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Most train operators rely to some extent on rest day work, which remains voluntary. However, the ban is unlikely to see the LNER experience the level of cancellations that have plagued Avanti West Coast, which has been unable to persuade drivers to work overtime on the parallel main line. Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said LNER was “ignoring our employment agreements”, adding: “It is clear to us that the company flies overtime and favors running a full service rather than employing several drivers.” Whelan said the association remains open to talks.
