Dear Resident,
I hope you are well.
Like many of you, I have been deeply frustrated by the National Rail and Tube strikes we have seen this week.
With the Government having stepped in and committed £16bn – equivalent to £600 for every household in the UK – to keep trains running through the pandemic, ensuring no Train Operating Company or Network Rail employee was furloughed so that key workers could keep moving, it is extremely disappointing that the unions are carrying out industrial action right at the point at which the railways are beginning to recover.
Furthermore, whilst Mayor Sadiq Khan initially promised that there would be no London Underground strikes from TfL workers under his tenure, there have now been 90 days of strikes in London. Coupled with the proposals to axe entirely or cut back nearly 80 buses across London, it’s clear the Mayor of London is failing to sufficiently run TfL.
In response to the strikes, the Government has acted to make it easier for businesses to use temporary staff to help ease disruptions caused by strike action. A change in the law will enable businesses to supply skilled agency workers to plug staffing gaps. For more information, please click here.Lastly, please don't forget to respond to TfL's consultation on their extreme bus cuts by emailing haveyoursay@tfl.gov.uk before 12 July 2022. I would also like to encourage you to urge neighbours, friends and family to sign my petition opposing Sadiq Khan's cuts to our local buses, which already has nearly 3000 signautres. Please click here to sign it!
Kind regards,
Greg HandsThe Rt Hon Greg Hands MP
Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham
You can read the rest of this edition of Greg's bulletin here.
