London Underground (LU) has commenced legal action challenging the validity of the strike called by the Aslef union’s leadership over its claims for additional Boxing Day pay.
The union’s leadership has confirmed that it will call its members out for four strike days unless they are paid triple time and given an extra day off for working on Boxing Day, despite the staff concerned already ‘earning a premium in their annual salary for working on public holidays’.
Since 2010, when the Aslef leadership first made their extra claims, LU has held discussions on the issue and reviewed the level of service required for Boxing Day to closely match customer demand.
As a result, LU has reduced the number of train staff required to work on Boxing Day to pre-2010 levels.
But despite only a quarter of LU’s 3,500 drivers being scheduled to work on 26 December, the Aslef leadership has balloted all 2,200 of its members for strike action, with ‘just 42 per cent voting in favour’.
LU has therefore commenced legal proceedings to challenge the validity of the ballot, and a hearing at the High Court is expected later this week.
Howard Collins, LU’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“This threat of strike action is disgraceful, and Londoners will share our disbelief at these outrageous claims by Aslef’s leadership for even more money to work on a day for which their members are already being paid.
“LU has a long-standing agreement with all of its trade unions which covers working arrangements on public holidays, and Boxing Day is included in that.
“The Underground is a public service that should be playing its part in helping Londoners and the Capital have a happy and prosperous Christmas, and we will take every possible step to ensure that happens.”
Perhaps ASLEF’s drivers would like to work for the NHS instead. We have always worked Christmas Day and Boxing Day as normal bank holidays. They are already much better paid that other public service workers.
Disgraceful and a dog in the manger attitude by the Unions thinking that they can hold the public to ransom. Get real unions and if you don’t like it, go to North Korea where you’ll be welcomed!!
Once again tube drivers are to trying extort more from people who are already struggling to make ends meet.  Let them strike and get nothing as that’s what they deserve.