Evening Standard Comment: Call off the London Tube strike

People should “work from home if possible”. Not the advice of the Prime Minister in a special address to the nation or from the chief medical officer as a new wave of Covid-19 spreads, but that of Transport for London.

The latest round of strike action by the RMT union, scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday, threatens to grind the Underground network to a halt for much of the working week. Just as the capital is getting back on its feet, it is a wanton act of self-harm that will inflict further damage on TfL’s already battered finances.

The spark for this latest disagreement — over its pension scheme — emanates from the Government’s initial bailout deal signed last June, under which TfL was required to review its pension scheme and identify opportunities to place it in a “financially sustainable position”.

Londoners are therefore once again paying the price of the ongoing battle between central government and city hall. The RMT’s decision is wildly out of step with the public mood, and ultimately against staff’s long-term interest in having a thriving transport network. They should call it off.