Bakerloo Line strike 2020 dates: Why are TfL workers taking industrial action?

Severe disruption is expected for commuters tonight as strike action begins on the Bakerloo Line.

The RMT strike is due to impede services until Tuesday morning, and will run over the weekend.

It is not entirely clear how much disruption the strikes will cause, as it is claimed that the Bakerloo Line could face anything “from delays to no service”.

Here we have all the information you need about how long these strikes will last and the reasoning behind the proposed action.

Bakerloo Line strike dates

The strike began today (21st February 2020), and will run for four days.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union were due to walk out for 24 hours today, and will do the same again from noon on Sunday.

It is likely that no trains at all will run on Monday morning, and service is not expected to return to normal service until Tuesday morning.

Only the Jubilee line is operating services through to central London from Baker Street station, and the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines will also be closed in central London this weekend for testing of a new signalling system.

Extra staff are positioned on duty at strategic points to aid the chaos.

Why are TfL staff taking strike action?

Transport for London staff are striking over "unworkable" changes to their timetable, which they claim will place drivers under “intolerable levels of personal stress”.

RMT says that it made "intensive efforts" to resolve these issues prior to the proposed strike, but that talks had proven unsuccessful.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said that the union was “angry and frustrated” at the lack of solution, and had been forced to go ahead with the strike as a result.

“RMT is angry and frustrated that hard work by our reps aimed at reaching a negotiated solution to this dispute has been wasted as the company have played us along and failed to make any kind of serious progress.

“That failure by London Underground chiefs mean that the action goes ahead as planned and even at this late stage we would ask the mayor to intervene to get his officials back around the table with a serious offer."

Cash then added that: “Drivers voted overwhelmingly for action in this dispute which is all about the management imposing timetable changes on the Bakerloo line without any serious recognition of the stress impact on the operators expected to implement them.

“You cannot place intolerable stress and pressure on Tube drivers that impacts on their safety-critical role, and that is what this dispute is all about.”

What has the London Underground said about the strike?

Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of line operations, apologised for the strike: “We apologise to our customers for the unnecessary disruption this strike could cause, and will keep them informed as we continue to try to resolve the dispute this week.

“We have met the RMT on several occasions to outline the steps we have taken to address their concerns with the current timetable and we have committed to introducing a new timetable next month to resolve these concerns,” he added.

"I would urge the RMT to continue working collaboratively with us to resolve these issues.”

No new peace talks are currently in place.

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Bakerloo line staff set to strike today in timetable changes dispute