LONDON: A strike on the London Underground caused major disruption on Monday as almost all stations in the city center shut and services were canceled in a dispute over jobs and ticket office closures.
Millions of passengers were forced to take overcrowded buses or overland trains, or work from home, after the 24-hour walk-out by the RMT union.
All 11 lines were affected in the action, which began on Sunday evening, with four completely closed and many others running a severely reduced service limited to the suburbs. In a message on Twitter, Mayor Sadiq Khan said the strike was “totally unnecessary” and was “causing misery to millions of Londoners.” He urged both sides to resume negotiations.
But the RMT say they are protesting against a “crisis” in the service after more than 830 job cuts meant there were not enough staff to run stations safely.
The strike is the latest in a series of walkouts since 2014 over the dispute, as ticket offices across the network have been closed.
“The strike action is being solidly supported on every line, at every station and on picket lines right across the Tube network,” said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.
“This action has been forced on us by savage cuts to jobs that have reduced London Underground to an under-staffed death trap at a time of heightened security and safety alert.”
Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer for London Underground, said the company had agreed that more staff were needed in stations and had started recruiting 200 more.
“There is no need to strike. We had always intended to review staffing levels and have had constructive discussions with the unions,” he said.
“Taking into account existing vacancies and natural turnover this means that over 600 staff will be recruited for stations this year.”
London Underground is the world’s oldest subway network, having opened in 1863, and carries 1.34 billion passengers a year.
London tube strike hits millions of passengers
London tube strike hits millions of passengers
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
