Strike slows commuting in London

LONDON, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Maintenance workers at London Underground went on strike Tuesday, bottling up commuter traffic in the British capital to protest job cuts, a union leader said.

The British Broadcasting Corp. quoted Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union, as saying, "The message to the mayor and his transport officials is clear: Stop playing fast and loose with safety, stop the drive towards unstaffed stations, drop the threat of these lethal cuts and start meaningful talks on a safe and secure future for the London Tube system."

The work stoppage is the first of a series of 24-hour strikes planned. Union officials claimed it had "solid" backing from union members, but Transport for London said 40 percent of its services was up and running.

Thousands took alternate routes for their morning commute with 100 extra buses running in the city and passenger numbers swelling on riverboat services, the BBC said.

Mayor Boris Johnson rode a bicycle to the London Stock Exchange, where he denounced the union as "cynically deciding to try the patience" of subway passengers.

Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said, "Londoners will doubtless find it incredible that the two union leaderships are pursuing this action when they have been given cast-iron assurances that the staffing changes we are making come with no compulsory redundancies."

"Every station will remain staffed at all times," he said.