The High Court will hear a legal bid to stop tube drivers from walking out for 24 hours on Boxing Day in a row over pay later today.
London Underground claims that only 42% of Aslef ‘s members – the largest tube driver union – voted to go take industrial action and so it is challenging the validity of the strike.
The union balloted its members over demands for triple pay and a day off in lieu for working the bank holiday on 26 December. It attested that some 92.3% of its members voted to take industrial action, which includes walk-outs on Monday 16 January, Friday 3 and Monday 13 February.
A spokesman for Aslef told the BBC that it did not expect LU’s legal challenge to be successful and that court action would only "increase ill-feeling".
It had formerly said in a statement that London Underground was currently offering workers no additional payments for working on 26 December, but its members wanted “adequate compensation” and to have the option to volunteer for work on such an “unsociable” day rather than be forced to.
“The whole dispute has been about seeking equitable quality time off for our members but recognising those who do operate the service may need to be incentivised,” the union added.
But London Underground said that tube workers already “earn a premium” for working on Boxing Day.
Howard Collins, the organisation’s chief operating officer, said: “It is disgraceful for the Aslef leadership to threaten strike action while we are engaged in continuing discussions on this issue. LU has a long-standing agreement with all of its trade unions which cover staff working arrangements on bank holidays, and Boxing day is included in that agreement.”
LU had shown “good faith” in reviewing its Boxing Day services to ensure that staffing levels were lower than when Aslef raised the matter last year and “Aslef should do the same”, he added.
Any strike would likely cause widespread disruption, however, as Aslef represents 2,200 tube drivers out of a total 3,400. The second largest union, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, has not balloted its members on the matter.
