Five Day Rail Strike Planned

Apparently encouraged by the "success" of their strikes in August, union members for Aslef on the National Express East Anglia franchise, which runs trains into Liverpool Street, have voted to hold a five-day strike from September 21st - 26th. The last round of strikes were halted by a peace deal between workers and bosses, but the detente hasn't resulted in an agreement over the thorny issue of a new deal on pay and conditions. The union once again has its thumb pressed against the larynx of the City: NXEA services carry two million commuters weekly into the heart of the financial district, and with few alternatives for those travelling on the line, the disruption would be immense. Given the entrenched nature of both sides, it's probably futile to hope that cooler heads will prevail, and London commuters avoid becoming the spoils in a fight they don't want to be involved in. (Image / AK Foto)