London braces for series of strikes

London faces severe disruption as union leaders prepare tomorrow to announce the dates for strikes involving almost 30,000 workers.

The capital is being threatened by a wave of strikes that could disrupt education, council services, the Heathrow Express rail service as well as the post.

At issue in most of the disputes, including the postal action, is the weighting allowance that is supposed to compensate for the high cost of living in the capital.

The sharp rise in London house prices in recent years has fuelled discontent about the level of weighting allowances, with claims that many workers are in real terms poorer than colleagues doing the same job elsewhere in the country.

London postal workers belonging to the Communication Workers’ Union voted overwhelmingly for strike action over weighting last week.

The union wants a rise to £4,000 throughout the payment area, which includes Greater London and parts of the Home Counties.

The Royal Mail is prepared to offer a £300 increase in weighting, which would take the allowance up to £3,784 in inner London and £2,667 in outer London.

Union negotiators led by Dave Ward, deputy general secretary, are to discuss strike dates with London representatives today before putting plans to the postal executive tomorrow.

Colleges and universities across London also face disruption, with Unison and the Association of University Teachers demanding a larger allowance.

Action at King’s College and the Institute of Education was suspended yesterday after the colleges offered a 9 per cent increase in the £2,134 London weighting. Another 13 institutions face two days of strikes over the next fortnight as students arrive to register for courses.

Local government workers represented by Unison yesterday reaffirmed their approval for industrial action over their weighting allowance. Unison is running a campaign of selective action in pursuit of a £4,000 allowance. London weighting currently varies between £1,500 and £2,850. Council leaders have offered a £201 increase for junior staff but a freeze for senior staff.

Workers at Heathrow Express represented by the Aslef rail union are to stage three 24-hour strikes next month in a dispute over union recognition.

Heathrow Express acknowledged that the majority of train drivers were Aslef members but said the company would still offer a “high-quality and regular service”.

In contrast to the CWU’s tough position over London, CWU officials accept that their separate national demand for an 8 per cent pay increase upfront is no longer realistic following the narrow vote against nationwide strike action over pay.

The Royal Mail has offered 14.5 per cent, but all but 4.5 per cent – over 18 months – is conditional on changes in working practices.