Time to remind Sadiq Khan of "zero strikes" promise

With the Woolwich Ferry on strike and Tube drivers threatening to walk out next week, it's time to remind the Mayor of his "zero strikes" promise.

In the 2016 mayoral election campaign, Sadiq Khan told Londoners "strikes are ultimately a sign of failure" and promised to roll up his sleeves if elected "to make sure there are zero days of strikes". Despite Khan's pledge, there have been over 30 strikes during his five years at City Hall.

The Mayor's strike record is worse than both his predecessors. Under Khan, there have been over 6 strikes a year on average during his five years in office. There was only an average of 4.4 strikes a year under Boris Johnson and two under Ken Livingstone.

Khan's appalling strike record could spell disaster for our city's recovery. We need to encourage commuters, customers, and tourists back into the capital to rebuild after the pandemic - any disruption to public transport will undermine that effort. Troublingly, Khan has failed to stop the ongoing Woolwich Ferry strike and reach an agreement with the RMT workers' union to avert the planned Tube strike from 24 to 27 August.

I fear that industrial action this summer could grind our city to a near-complete halt. Londoners would crush onto other transport options in normal times, but few people will feel comfortable doing so in a pandemic. This is the worst possible time for a strike.

Khan needs to remember his promise to Londoners, bang heads together and stop strikes wrecking our recovery.

Article by Keith Prince AM first published in the Ilford Recorder.