June 6th - London hit by tube strike...again

London is once again gummed up by a Tube strike involving members of the RMT union.Transport for London, which runs the Underground, is accused by the union of threatening 600 jobs, tearing up working agreements and posing a “looming threat to pensions”.Workers point out that they worked all the way through Covid to keep trains running, and do not wish to accept any compulsory job losses. But finances for public transport have been utterly trashed by the coronavirus pandemic. There is a funding shortfall of at least 20% and the railways – under and over the ground – depend on taxpayer support to keep running. I am not convinced that today’s strike, and a national rail stoppage planned for the summer, is necessarily the best way to guarantee a strong future for the industry.Of course, this podcast is free as is my weekly newsletter, which you can get every Friday: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Simon Calder is the Independent’s travel correspondent, the UK’s leading travel journalist. From news updates to discussions with experts, Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast will bring you all you need to know from the world of travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.