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Close your eyes. Imagine a London, where there’s a global viral pandemic, a three-hour James Bond film that’s been in production for 300 years has finally been released, all the fuel has run out and fights are breaking out at petrol stations, and NOW there are rumours of a tube strike. Now open your eyes. This is not some dystopian future: this is London in the autumn of 2021.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents rail and Underground workers, has expressed its disapproval at new adverts which are broaching the introduction of driverless trains on the Underground. The RMT are lambasting the government for the new promotional material, with general secretary of the union Mick Lynch threatening that they will fight this ‘assault on transport in London’ in any way possible, including ‘the use of industrial action’.
The unions are already at odds with the government after Boris Johnson insisted that driverless trains were the future of transport in London, after bailing out TfL in May with a £1.6bn rescue package. The unions believe that driverless trains will lead to safety risks and job losses, and that there are more pressing issues with the transport network, such as ageing trains and the need for new signalling.
This is a dispute that has been years in the making ever since Boris commented that ‘virtually anybody’ could drive a train, and it looks like it will continue hearedly for years to come; but please, for the love of God, please do not strike when there’s a fuel shortage. London might finally just descend into total anarchy.
Please not now, the tube is packed again at the moment.
At least the buses won’t be affected. They’ll be fuller, though.