If you live in London you'll know what it's been like with regard to the several tube strikes over the past couple of months. You will also know that it's the general public, not the London Underground, that's been held to ransom, as the strikes have been held at times of extreme cold, during weekdays and on the busiest routes. And that the London buses simply cannot cope with the demand during peak hours whenever there's a tube strike.
As far as I'm concerned, the LU management needs to stop playing politics and start firing people ASAP. It's not about 'safety' - how does having 4 or 5 staff on the ticket barriers affect safety? It's worse than the 1970s right now - someone with a bit of steel in their veins needs to take charge of this mess so that ordinary people don't have to suffer.