London Transit Strike Off, But Headaches Still On

The union representing London’s Tube workers has called off a threatened 3-day strike after a day of shutdowns that hobbled the city’s transit system, but commuters still face lingering aftershocks. Transit of London, which runs the Underground, and the RMT union say they made sufficient progress yesterday to restart nine of the 12 lines that had been sidelined.

Union leaders want job and pension assurances following the collapse of private contractor Metronet; the Guardian says another strike looms if crucial talks break down. But Gordon Brown and London’s mayor scolded workers for their “wholly unjustified” actions and urged them to return k to work. The strike could cost London the equivalent of $100 million a day, AFP says. (More Tube stories.)