Weekend Tube strikes pressure recovery of London’s West End
A six-month series of weekend Tube strikes threatens the recovery of London’s West End.
It is feared that the strikes will deal another blow to one of the UK’s leading shopping and leisure destinations, which has been hit hard by the pandemic as consumers and commuters have often stayed at home.
The strikes are expected to affect one of the UK’s leading shopping and leisure destinations.
The West End has already been impacted by the pandemic as consumers and commuters have often stayed at home.
The planned industrial action means members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on Friday and Saturday evenings from this weekend on the Central and Victoria lines in a dispute over rosters. The action is scheduled to continue until mid-June.
While the dispute is expected to primarily hit the West End’s night-time economy, the weekend disruption will be come as a blow to all businesses in the area.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned the strikes will cause ‘devastation’ for the city’s hard-hit retail, cultural and hospitality sectors at a crucial time as they attempt to recover from the pandemic.
New West End Company chief executive Jace Tyrrell said: “We strongly encourage RMT to call off these strikes in order to give viable hospitality businesses in the capital the best possible chance of survival.”
