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It's been almost two years of unrelenting train strikes in the capital, and they don't seem to be letting up any time soon. Now, tram engineers in London have announced they will be striking too. Here's everything you need to know about the London tram strikes.
RECOMMENDED: All you need to know about the train strikes across the UK.
When are the London tram strikes?
The first strike will take place from 30 June to 8 July and there'll be a second one from 11 to 15 July. On strike days, there will reduced service from 7am-6pm, with no service outside of those times.
Which tram lines will be affected?
The action is going to affect the Croydon Tramlink in south London, but there will also be a reduced service on the whole of the London Trams network for some of the planned strike days.
How long will the strikes last?
The first strike will last eight days, followed by another four days of the second strike.
How will travel to Wimbledon be affected?
Those heading to the Wimbledon tennis championships, which start next Monday July 1, should know that no tram service is expected before 7am or after 6pm on strike days, with a reduced service running between 7am and 6pm.
There'll be no service through Croydon town centre, or to or from Elmers End.
The first weekend of the tournament will only be served by trams between Wimbledon and Reeves Corner. On finals weekend, there will be trams running between Wimbledon and Reeves Corner, East Croydon, Beckenham Junction and New Addington.
Services are expected to start later than usual on July 8 and July 15. TfL has warned that some disruption is possible on non-strike days between the tennis championship weekends.
If you're ditching the travel to watch the tennis from home, you can find out all you need to know about Wimbledon on TV here.
Why are tram workers striking?
Tramlink engineers who are Unite members are taking industrial action over pay for the second time this year. They went on strike in March, when Unite union engineers said they were ‘angry that their colleagues on the London Underground, who require the same qualifications and perform the same roles, are paid up to £10,000 more a year’.
The union said engineers had been put on on office worker contracts despite their technical roles, and although TfL agreed last year to change the workers contracts it had ‘failed to implement this commitment’.
Unite has urged TfL to rectify the pay disparity between the London Underground and London Trams services.
Back in March, Unite's regional officer Bruce Swann said: ‘The entire employment situation of these workers is a mess. While TfL might claim this is the fault of historic mistakes, Unite believes it is simply trying to continue to run these services on the cheap at the expense of these workers.
‘TfL needs to resolve the massive pay disparity and other issues, or this dispute will continue to escalate.’
Navid Golshan, general manager for London Trams at TfL, said: ‘We urge Unite the Union to continue to work with us to find a resolution and call this strike off.
Swann now adds: 'Our members have bent over backwards to give TfL the opportunity to resolve this dispute before more industrial action was called. Unfortunately, TfL has engaged in time wasting and obfuscation.'
Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham condemned TfL for treating workers 'as second-class employees', calling their unresolved pay conditions 'totally unacceptable'.
TfL has advised passengers to walk, cycle or seek alternative routes where possible.
‘Customers planning to use London Trams services are urged to check before they travel, allow extra time for their journeys, and check the TfL website or the TfL Go app for the latest travel information.’
When are engineering works planned?
Engineering works on the tram network are taking place between Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July. No trams will operate between Wimbledon and Reeves Corner, East Croydon, Beckenham Junction and New Addington. Rail replacement and enhanced local bus services will be available.
Read our guide on where to watch Wimbledon
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