Elizabeth line staff to strike on New Year’s Eve

Union members who work on the Elizabeth line have threated to walk out on New Year’s Eve over a pay dispute.

Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) staff based in the control room will take the industrial action for 24 hours from 21:00 GMT, the union says.

The RMT added members had rejected Transport for London's (TfL) pay offer and it was seeking improvements to holiday entitlement and a reduction in working hours.

TfL has been approached for comment.

RMT members would additionally refuse to work rest days or overtime from 5 December until 18 December, the union said.

There is free travel on the TfL network between 23:45 on New Year's Eve and 04:30 on New Year's Day and there is expected to be high numbers of passengers on the network.

Union general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Our members play a vital role in running the Elizabeth line and their demands for fair treatment on working hours and leave remain unmet.

"The current offer falls short, and our members are determined to secure a fair deal."

Earlier this month, planned strikes by RMT staff on the London Underground were called off following talks over pay between the union and TfL.

Workers were set to take action on several days in November but a union spokesperson said it had received "a significantly improved offer".

Then, TfL said it believed its offer was "fair, affordable, good for our colleagues and good news for London".

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