Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, said Mr Khan “should be standing up to Tory ministers who want to needlessly attack jobs, pensions and conditions of key transport workers” and accused him of a “political failure” to secure more funds from the Government.
The Mayor said the RMT was “letting the Government off the hook” and “letting down Londoners” by “pointing the finger” at him and TfL.
Ministers have already bailed out TfL four times, most recently on Friday, when it was granted a further £200 million to keep services running until June.
Mr Khan said he had no choice but to accept cutting costs as a condition of the bailouts.
Night Tube disruption
This week’s strikes come alongside ongoing disruption to the night Tube service after drivers were asked to work four night shifts per year to run services on Friday and Saturday nights.
The RMT said the plans could affect workers’ “work-life balance” and ordered a walkout that has paralysed the service since it was restarted last November.
More than 100,000 people signed a petition last year calling for the return of the night Tube amid concerns about women’s safety in London.
On Tuesday, Mr Khan said he was investing £108,000 in “venues and public spaces to receive training and resources to become places where women can feel safer”. However, the night Tube strikes are set to continue until June.
Some have criticised the Mayor for TfL’s instruction that Londoners should work from home during this week’s disruptions, despite the end of Covid restrictions and the Government’s ambition for staff to return to work.
Steve Baker, the Conservative MP for Wycombe, told The Telegraph that the order would have knock-on effects for families and businesses.
He said: “Let’s not kid ourselves that working from home is cost-free. It puts our own heating bills up at a time when we can ill afford it, and it has an impact on those businesses that support our workplaces.
“Sadiq Khan is in a fool’s paradise if he thinks working from home is the solution to his failure to handle Tube strikes.”
