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Piccadilly Line Tube drivers' strike action starts | |
(about 13 hours later) | |
Tube drivers on the Piccadilly Line have begun the first of three 24-hour strikes. | |
The RMT and Aslef unions said there had been a breakdown in industrial relations with issues including the age of trains not resolved. | |
London Underground said the strike was "indefensible" and managers remained available for talks. | |
About 400 drivers on the Piccadilly Line, members of Aslef and RMT, began strike action at 21:00 GMT. | |
The London Underground line carries some 600,000 passengers a day and is the only Tube service to Heathrow. | |
'Lack of consistency' | |
The union said several issues had led to the call for strike action, including concerns over the "ageing Piccadilly Line fleet", which had "left drivers in a vulnerable position". | The union said several issues had led to the call for strike action, including concerns over the "ageing Piccadilly Line fleet", which had "left drivers in a vulnerable position". |
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "There has also been an appalling lack of consistency by local management when it comes to addressing the long-running issues." | |
Finn Brennan, Aslef official, said: "So far senior management have not been prepared to intervene or even to meet with the trade unions. They are taking a completely hands-off attitude." | |
London Underground operations director Pat Hansberry said: "We urge the union leaderships to work with us constructively to resolve these local issues, so that Londoners aren't subjected to pointless disruption." | |
Transport for London (TfL) is providing updates on its website, and @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts. | |
It said people travelling to the airport could use Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express services and extra buses. | |
The RMT is also due to strike on 19 and 21 April. | |
The Piccadilly Line has some of the oldest trains on the network, known as "1973 stock", and in January experienced a problem with a door opening on a moving train. | |
TfL subsequently said it had carried out checks that showed it was an "isolated incident". |