The London tube strike sparked by a debate between London Underground Officials, is set to begin Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. local time and is expected to last for 24 hours.
DLR , London Overground and London Rail are expected to operate on regular schedules but revealed that they are not equipped to handle the overflow. Alternate transportation such as bicycles, buses, cable cars, coach services, overground trains and taxis are available and have been suggested to be taken advantage of by the commuters.
Transportation providers have also provided extra vehicles to their routes, while commuters are advised to leave home early or work from home in anticipation of the strike, according to The Inquisitr.
The strike was a result of the failure of talks to resolve the dispute between the union leaders and the London Underground Officials regarding the conditions and pay offered for the new night service. London Underground offered a 2 percent salary increase, a limited time offer of £200 ($312 U.S.) per night shift for drivers and a £500 ($780.05 U.S.) bonus for night Tube staff. Drivers were unhappy with the offer.
"It is crazy, when you have the technology, not to put a 24-hour service in a 24-hour city. I want it starting in the autumn - what I am fussed about is the offer being put to union members. I am not going to authorise any more money. Most people would recognise that this is a very generous deal," said London Mayor Boris Johnson during a visit to military veterans in Chelsea, according to BBC News.
"Our members have rejected the latest offer from the company because they are forcing through new rosters without agreement and offer no firm commitments on work-life balance for train drivers," said Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen General Secretary Mick Whelan, according to The Guardian. "We support night tube. London needs it. We remain prepared to talk at any time to try to find common ground, but by forcing these new rosters on train drivers and acting outside of our agreed way of working, senior management are making it even harder to resolve this dispute. The Aslef executive committee meets next week and will discuss our response to these developments."
"The offer tabled by London Underground is just a rehash of an earlier package and does nothing to tackle the fundamental issue of our members being called into work at the beck and call of management, to plug staffing gaps in the mayor's botched night tube plans. This dispute is not about money, it's about being able to plan for, and enjoy, some downtime with friends and family away from work. The current plans wreck that and the unilateral issuing of the new rosters has simply inflamed the situation."
