Could London’s plan for 24 hour tubes be about to fall apart

When it was originally announced that the capital would be announcing 24 hour tube services in 2014, Londoners everywhere rejoiced.

No longer would they be forced to rely on the dreaded night bus, or a stabby midnight strut through derelict parks and back end streets. The tube would be their great big, metal saviour. Taking you safely home no matter the hour.

Sure, nobody was really that excited about sharing a tube carriage with 600 drunk people on their way back from Shoreditch during the early hours, but generally speaking it was seen as a revolutionary step towards, well… not having to panic-book an Uber with depleted funds.

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But now the whole brilliant plan might be about to falter due to what would appear to be greedy tube bosses not altering their staff's pay fairly to compensate for longer hours.

Reacting to the proposed plans, which were set to kick-off in September this year during weekends, Tube train drivers have joined together and voted to support strike action against the plan.

Specifically, calling for action to address their escalating dispute over pay and conditions that will be heightened by a 24-hour weekend service.

A spokesperson for the Aslef Union, which controls the overwhelming majority of the London’s tube drivers told the evening standard: “The new rosters would mean a huge increase in the number of weekend and night shifts each driver is expected to work.

“As drivers are paid on a salary basis they receive no shift enhancements or overtime payments for the additional shifts in anti-social hours they will have to work.”

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Adding that whilst the union wasn’t against the introduction of a night service, they wanted to ensure that it was, “introduced in a way that’s fair.”

According to the London Underground Director, Nick Brown, the LU have been in regular communication with the trade unions since February and negotiations are currently underway.

Here’s hoping that London’s great travel hope isn’t killed off before it’s even got going…

[Source: Standard]