London Underground is calling on its drivers represented by the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union to drop the planned 24-hour strike on Boxing Day. The union and workers are demanding to get triple pay because the company is forcing them to work on the bank holiday.

The operator says that the union agreed to a deal that includes higher pay and 6.8 weeks of holiday and knew that it would involve workers being staffed on some bank holidays. However, the union says the staff deserve triple pay and time off because they are being made to work.

London Underground chief operating officer Howard Collins says that it’s ‘disgraceful’ that Aslef is trying to hold travelers and the company to ransom like this. They have a long-standing deal with all trade unions that covers staff working arrangements on bank holidays, he explained, with Boxing Day included. To tear the agreement up and look to disrupt the holiday period for travelers like this is just ‘cynical’, he continued. The network did all they could to resolve this issue, he added, but Aslef has refused to attend discussions for their demands.

London Chamber chief executive Colin Stanbridge says that, based on the documents London Underground has published, Aslef is clearly failing to honor a deal in which they agreed to work on bank holidays in return for holiday entitlements and generous pay. Boxing Day is a major trading date for the hospitality and retail industries, who will lose millions if this strike goes ahead, he continued. They urge Aslef to honor the deal, he added, and think about the harm they will cause thousands of businesses.