The Elizabeth line opened in May this year. It has since enjoyed successful extensions including the opening of the Bond Street stop and phase two of the line’s arrival, extending access to central zones of the line out to Reading.
Though there have been a handful of strikes over this time period, across both Tube and National Rail networks, there has not yet been a strike across the Elizabeth line. This now, however, looks set to change as workers have overwhelmingly voted for strike action across the service.
When is the Elizabeth line strike?
Though a strike has been voted for by workers on the Elizabeth line, a date has not yet been put in place. It will mark the first time workers on the line have gone on strike. Workers are members of the union Prospect, and voted 94% in favour of strike action, and 92% in favour of other forms of industrial action.
Why are Elizabeth line workers striking?
A strike is on the way as part of a dispute over pay. A 4% payrise was rejected, saying this was below inflation meaning strike action will go ahead.
Mike Clancy, Genera Secretary at Prospect, said: “Our members have worked incredibly hard to get the Elizabeth line ready to go safely into operation yet they are being treated significantly worse than equivalent workers on the rest of London’s network.
“The Elizabeth line itself is now bringing in large extra passenger revenue for Transport for London and is underspent on its budget so there really ought to be room for some movement on pay. Our members don’t want to go on strike but pay is so far behind inflation that they simply cannot manage.”
Are more strikes on the way?
Yes. An RMT strike went ahead this week, with further strikes planned on December 16-17. There are also walkouts planned between December 24-27, and across two 48-hour periods in the first week of January. Read more about the strike action this month here.
Could the strike be called off?
In theory, yes; if Prospect and Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) come to an agreement.
Mike Clancy added: “We remain open to negotiation and it is our hope that RfLI will come back to the table with an offer sufficient to avert industrial action.”