Commuters wait for buses during a Tube strike at Victoria Station in London yesterday.
Millions of Londoners were caught up in commuting chaos yesterday, as Underground workers began the first in a series of strikes that Prime Minister David Cameron branded as “shameful.”
As tempers frayed on packed buses and the capital’s streets swarmed with commuters walking, running and cycling to work through gale-force winds, Mayor Boris Johnson and powerful union leader Bob Crow traded recriminations over the latest walkout.
London’s Underground rail drivers plan to stay out for two days this week and another two next week, in a row over job cuts and modernisation.
The action has brought new calls to curtail the rights of unions to strike in key infrastructure areas.
Some 3mn people use the Tube system most days. Only a lucky few could cram themselves on the handful of trains that were running yesterday.
Cameron said on his official Twitter feed that the strike was “shameful, bringing misery to millions of Londoners.”
Speaking later in parliament, he added: “I unreservedly condemn this strike. There is absolutely no justification for a strike. We need a modernised tube line working for the millions of Londoners who use it every day.”
Police were out in force at major rail stations to keep order in the long lines that began building up at bus stops shortly after dawn. Even so, there were reports of jostling as tempers frayed.
Thousands of workers took to the roads on bikes. Boat services along the River Thames were running extra trips.
The more athletic used the strike as a chance to run to work from the suburbs. Fund manager Richard Marwood was among them.
“To be honest, running to work is something I like to do most weeks anyway, but travelling under your own steam is particularly handy in circumstances like this,” he said. Lauren Sweeney, 26, a legal PA, said getting to her office would take her an extra 30 minutes, on top of her usual one-hour journey. She lives in Hornchurch, in east London, and works near Liverpool Street in the City of London. “It’s a hassle,” she said. “Everyone has been talking about how they are going to get in to work for days.”
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) unions called the strike to protest against job losses and plans to close manned ticket offices as part of the modernisation of the 151-year-old network.
A second 48-hour strike is planned for February 11 to February 14.
RMT leader Crow said the strike was “rock solid” and had reduced the network to a skeleton service. The TSSA said service had been reduced by 70%.
“That is simply a reflection of the staff anger at attempts to bulldoze through cuts to jobs, services and safety which would reduce the Tube to a dangerous, hollowed-out shell,” Crow said in a statement. He added that the unions remained available for talks with Mayor Johnson to resolve the dispute.
Johnson - who has accused the unions of “holding a gun to the heads of Londoners” - said he respected the rights of the trade unions to represent their workers, but the modernisation plans had to go ahead.
The London Chamber of Commerce said repeated strike action could hurt London’s image as a modern, efficient city and affect long-term investment prospects. Based on figures from previous strikes in 2010, the business lobby said the two 48-hour strikes could cost the financial capital over £200mn.
Turnout at the vote for the strike was only 30%, according to Transport for London (TfL), the body that runs the network.
Johnson has said he favours new rules permitting strikes only if at least 50% of a union’s members take part in the voting. Cameron’s spokesman said the Conservatives, the larger party in the coalition government, were considering putting unspecified but related measures in their manifesto for the next election in 2015. “They are actively looking at this area with a view to the next Conservative manifesto,” the spokesman added.
Delays, overcrowding anger commuters
Commuters yesterday told of their anger at the strike as hundreds of thousands struggled to make it into work. Travellers suffered delays and overcrowding, with some complaining the action would hit them financially. Train stations and bus stops were hugely busy and many Tube stations, which promised to be open from 7am, remained closed, including North Greenwich and Finsbury Park. At Victoria some buses failed to stop as routes struggled to cope. Agnes Peters, 62, a receptionist from Victoria, said it was impossible to get her usual bus to work in Cricklewood because they were all “full to the brim”. She said: “I think the mayor and the unions should have sorted this out and not have this chaos. It’s not fair on commuters.” Annette Connery, 53, inset, a finance worker from Sutton beat the strike by riding a scooter from Victoria to Marylebone. She said: “It’s deadly uncool for someone my age but who cares. This time around I’m all for it (the strike), I don’t like the fact they want to close the ticket offices.” At London Bridge station, self-employed heating and plumbing engineers Mark Richardson and Tom Hines, both 27 from Sidcup, told how they would lose about £400. The strike meant they missed a deadline fitting piping on a flat in Camden. Hines said: “We have left plenty of time but are about two hours late. TfL put up our fares but can’t get trains to run.”