TfL London Overground train strikes in February and March - 'You either believe in a cause or you don't'

Commuters using the London Overground face four days of disruption over the next month as staff strike over pay.

More than 300 members of the RMT union - including security, station, revenue and control staff - will stage walkouts on February 19-20 and March 4-5.

For some areas of the city the Overground is the only rail service, so LondonWorld went to Crystal Palace to see what people think of the strikes.

Panos said: "If there is a rail strike and there is no Overground available then I'll be struggling to get to work in central London. It does make a huge difference if we don't have the public transportation, especially in an area where we are already limited and don't have a lot of options. So, yeah, going to work is going to be challenging so I'll probably be working from home then."

Dan said: "It won't affect me too much because I don't have a structured routine where I need to get to certain places. But I certainly support strikes. It's happened to me a few times where I've been inconvenienced but you either believe in a cause or you don't. 

"In other words, it is frustrating but sometimes there's a bigger goal or something that's more important. So I'm quite happy to tough it out. It's not that hard really - you can adapt. There are buses. I feel sorry for some people but that's life."

The RMT says members have called the action as they have been offered a below inflation pay offer.

General secretary Mick Lynch said: "London Overground workers do an important job delivering services for TfL and supporting passengers on journeys throughout London. 

"Our members are furious that they have been given a below inflation pay offer and want to see an improvement that represents the value they bring to the company. If this dispute cannot be resolved then RMT is more than prepared for a sustained period of industrial action to get London Overground workers the pay rise they deserve."

Steve Best, managing director at Arriva Rail London, said: “We are hugely disappointed to hear of the RMT union’s decision to stage industrial action on the London Overground in February and March. We believe we have offered a good pay award in comparison not only to our industry, but other industries and businesses in the UK too. We remain committed to engaging with the RMT in the hope of resolving this dispute. We are putting robust contingency plans in place should any industrial action go ahead, to ensure the safety and security of our people and customers."

A TfL spokesperson said: "We encourage the RMT to continue engaging with Arriva Rail London to try to resolve this dispute and avoid impacting our customers with strike action.”