Govt moves to increase threshold for tube strikes

Ministers have announced Transport for London (TfL) will be defined as an “essential” service, making it harder for tube unions to bring the city to a halt, the Evening Standard reported.

It would put the tube in the same category as industries including fire, education, and border security, and mean that under the proposed Trade Union Bill strike ballots would require a 50% turnout with 40% voting for it.

Conservative MP and London mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith said it’s right that TfL services are classed as 'essential'.

“That’s what they are to the millions of people who live and work in Greater London,” he posted on his Facebook page.

“Unions shouldn’t be able to call a strike on spurious grounds, with little real support.”