Transport workers strike in London

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LONDON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Striking subway workers concerned about job security shut down 60 percent of London's commuter rail service Wednesday, the city's subway operator said.

Union officials claimed the disruption in services was more dramatic than that, describing the London Underground as running "ghost trains," Sky News reported.

The strike included subway workers and members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association. The city, in response, put 100 extra buses to work and pressed additional taxis into service.

While union officials vowed to continue with planned 24-hour strikes to protest personnel cutbacks, London Mayor Boris Johnson said, "Londoners have shown that they will not be deterred from their daily business by these pointless strikes."

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said streamlining the service was a necessary for budget discipline.

"The changes we are making are essential. … Just one journey in 20 now involves a ticket office and some ticket offices sell fewer than 10 tickets an hour," he said.