Fury as union tries to sabotage Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend: RMT boss announces plans for staff to walkout at two key stations on Victoria, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines on Friday June 3 – just a day after Her Majesty opened new Elizabeth line
- Strike action is being planned for the Underground on Platinum Jubilee weekend
- RMT union members may walk out of Euston and Green Park on Friday, June 3
- Furious Brits called the union ‘disgusting’ for choosing a day ‘hurtful’ to public
- It is due to a ‘toxic working environment’ and allegations of bullying, union says
Plans for a strike at two key London Underground stations on the Platinum Jubilee weekend have sparked fury from Brits, calling the union ‘disgusting’ and ‘despicable’.
Underground staff part of the RMT Union are planning to walk out of Euston and Green Park stations on Friday, June 3 with the strike affecting the Piccadilly, Jubilee and Victoria lines.
It will cause ‘significant disruption to people wishing to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee’, warned union bosses.
Brits reacting to the news have described the plan as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘selfish’, with one describing those walking out as ‘a spiteful public hating lot’.
Commuters queuing for tube trains at Green Park Tube Station in July 2015
Yesterday, the Queen made a surprise visit to open the Elizabeth line, which opens May 24
Green Park and Euston — where staff are threatening to walk out — are vital stations for anyone planning on attending the celebrations of Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.
Green Park is the closest station to Buckingham Palace, with a Friday strike impacting those wanting to get a glimpse of the royal residence. And Euston is also home to the UK’s busiest inter-city railway, where thousands of people will arrive ahead of the Saturday and Sunday celebrations.
Both stations are expecting to see thousands of travellers throughout the Jubilee weekend, as people move around the city, and arrive from further afield.
Union bosses say that it is due to a ‘toxic working environment’ and allegations of bullying.
Pictured, a sign at Paddington Station in London during a RMT union strike in March this year
The National Rail services at Euston will not be impacted, the Evening Standard reported.
Brits criticising the strike plan have questioned whether it is ‘politically motivated’ and suggested ‘driverless trains’.
Others said they have chosen a time that will be ‘most hurtful’ to the British public.
RMT general secretary Michael Lynch said: ‘Staff at Euston and Green Park tube have suffered years of sustained bullying and intimidation by a manager who has created a toxic working environment.
‘The union has tried in vain to reason with management, but they now will not let local representatives be part of a review into dismissals at the stations, instigated by the manager in question.
‘Our strike on June 3 will cause significant disruption to people wishing to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee.
‘However, if tube bosses do the right thing, and deal appropriately with the manager in question, we can find a just resolution to this dispute.’
The action will impact Victoria, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines at Green Park and Euston stations. Pictured, the Jubilee line at Green Park
People wait for buses at Waterloo station in London during a strike by members of RMT union in March this year
A TfL spokesperson said in response to bullying allegations: ‘We hold our people to high standards and ensure everyone is treated fairly.
‘We’re aware of this dispute and are carrying out an urgent review in a bid to resolve it.
‘We have had a number of meetings with the RMT and are urging them not to take strike action and to continue working with us to find a resolution.’
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