A strike will put the Central line out of service on Friday after union members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.

ASLEF has announced trains will not run on the line between 12.01am and 11.59pm this Friday (October 5) after a “breakdown of industrial relations with London Underground”.

The union says 90 per cent of Tube drivers voted for action.

Finn Brennan, ASLEF’s organiser on the Underground, said industrial action is always “the last resort” but the “intransigence of management” left them with no choice.

The issues ASLEF say have not been resolved

  • abuse of the attendance at work procedure
  • breach of agreements regarding managers driving trains
  • abuse of the case conference procedure
  • harsh and unfair use of the disciplinary procedure
  • imposition of new and unsafe “flash and dash” working practices.

Finn Brennan said: “‘What links these issues is a basic failure to treat drivers on the line with fairness and respect.

“Management seem to think of drivers as an appendix of the trains they operate, not as human beings.

“We have seen drivers dismissed because of one mistake after a quarter of a century of excellent service or reduced in grade because they had the temerity to take time off sick after a traumatic incident.”

“The strike on the Central line is the result of management’s failure to deal with the issues our reps have raised regarding service control problems affecting our members,” he said.

“London Underground management has had ample opportunities to resolve this dispute.

There will be no Central Line trains on Friday

“But they have chosen not to, because they believe they will get what they want by using sticks instead of carrots!

“They have abused the disciplinary and attendance procedure to try to create a climate of fear on the Central line.

“But our drivers will not be bullied by management. And the huge ‘yes’ vote for industrial action has shown that our members will not be easily intimidated.”

Transport for London (TfL) has been approached for a comment.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union took industrial action on the Piccadilly Line last week in a separate dispute.