News / International
Boxing day strike disrupts London trains
28 Dec 2011 at 07:55hrs | Views
LONDON'S underground train service was virtually halted by a strike over pay on Monday, disrupting the start of the post-Christmas sales and sporting fixtures.
Most lines were shut or operating a vastly reduced service, but shoppers used cars, buses and taxis to reach retail outlets, registering "record-breaking" levels of trade, according to sales figures.
Members of the London underground train drivers union ASLEF voted overwhelmingly to hold a 24-hour strike on December 26, a public holiday in Britain known as Boxing Day, and on three more dates in the coming weeks.
Drivers are angry that their employer is refusing to give them extra pay and a day off for working on Boxing Day. The operator has described their demands as "outrageous".
In anticipation of the strike, Premier League football club Arsenal postponed their Boxing Day fixture with Wolves by 24 hours, but Chelsea's match with Fulham went ahead on Monday.
Despite the strikes, thousands of shoppers flooded into the recently opened Westfield centre in Stratford, east London, hoping to snap up a bargain in Europe's biggest shopping mall.
Shops began slashing prices by more than 50% even before Christmas.
The drivers' union plans three more 24-hour strikes on January 16, February 3 and February 13.
ASLEF said it balloted 2200 drivers on the underground network, and they returned a 92.3% vote in favour of action.
Most lines were shut or operating a vastly reduced service, but shoppers used cars, buses and taxis to reach retail outlets, registering "record-breaking" levels of trade, according to sales figures.
Members of the London underground train drivers union ASLEF voted overwhelmingly to hold a 24-hour strike on December 26, a public holiday in Britain known as Boxing Day, and on three more dates in the coming weeks.
Drivers are angry that their employer is refusing to give them extra pay and a day off for working on Boxing Day. The operator has described their demands as "outrageous".
Despite the strikes, thousands of shoppers flooded into the recently opened Westfield centre in Stratford, east London, hoping to snap up a bargain in Europe's biggest shopping mall.
Shops began slashing prices by more than 50% even before Christmas.
The drivers' union plans three more 24-hour strikes on January 16, February 3 and February 13.
ASLEF said it balloted 2200 drivers on the underground network, and they returned a 92.3% vote in favour of action.
Source - Sapa
