Strike to Hit London Overground Services

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RMT taking industrial action over August Bank Holiday

The RMT are to hold industrial action over the issue of the removal of guards from the London Overground network. They take action for 48 hours over the coming Bank Holiday weekend. Their members will not be booking in for any shifts on Sunday 25th August and Monday 26th August.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said, "RMT have sent out a clear message in the nine to one vote for both strike action and action short of a strike on London Overground over the appalling, cash-driven assault on our guards members and the absolutely essential role that they play. These are the very same staff who have been praised for safely evacuating passengers from emergency situations and who are the eyes and ears of the service at a time of growing violence and thefts on our trains. The failure of the TFL senior management, under Boris Johnson's leadership, and the company to pull back from these proposals has forced RMT to announce this strike action."

The RMT say that the 130 guards jobs that will be lost are safety critical and the move puts millions of passengers lives at risk. They claim that without guards the Overground network become a 'criminals' playground'

TfL have yet to comment on the strike action.

August 16, 2013