Why the partial revival of London's Night Tube could be threatened by a strike

Tap above to watch video report by Simon Harris

The partial revival of London's Night Tube could be threatened by a strike, a leading rail union warned today.

The RMT is in dispute with London Underground over plans to make night shifts compulsory for drivers.

Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the return of night trains on the Central and Victoria lines from Saturday November 27th.

Above: Sadiq Khan announces reopening of the Night Tube

The Night Tube was suspended at the start of the first Covid 19 lockdown in March 2020.

The service was staffed by part time drivers who worked exclusively at night. 

They were rostered onto day shifts during the pandemic to cover driver shortages caused by sickness and self-isolating.

London Underground bosses want to abolish the part time roles and make night working part of the normal shift pattern.

"Not everyone can do Night Tube duties on a Friday and Saturday night," said John Leach, RMT regional organiser.

"We wouldn't have a problem with an agreement that was voluntary but they're going to force it on people who can't do it and that's wrong.

"We've had a vote of our driver members to protect their rights in this matter and ultimately a strike could be called but I want to avoid that," he added.

Tens of thousands of people signed a petition calling for the return of the Night Tube to protect women and girls.