"It's not about money:" London's Tube paralysed by strike

By Euronews with BBC

Published on 06/08/2015 - 05:02•Updated 09/12/2019 - 10:08

Commuters in London faced chaos Wednesday evening as Tube workers went on 24-hour strike for the second time over plans to introduce an overnight

Commuters in London faced chaos Wednesday evening as Tube workers went on 24-hour strike for the second time over plans to introduce an overnight service from mid-September.

Trade Unions have been involved in negotiations with employers Transport for London, but so far the two sides have failed to reach an agreement.

“It’s not an issue about money, it’s about fairness and having quality time off”, said Finn Brennan of the union ASLEF.

Tens of thousands of people including many tourists were left stranded, or at the mercy of taxis and buses that could not cope with the sheer numbers. Many either chose or were forced to walk.

“All the buses are packed”, said one resident. “I’m just taking a walk which is 44 minutes from Picadilly to Paddington station. I’m not able to take any bus because they don’t stop, they don’t open the doors. It’s bad.”

“It’s very inconvenient and I’m here for five days in London and I’m cutting short my trip because of your strike closure”, said an Amercian tourist. “I’m not able to get all the way back to Camden and so I won’t be able to spend any money in your city and I think it’s a real disruption to tourists and it would never happen in the USA.”