Bermondsey station unexpectedly shut for four hours on Sunday morning because of staff sickness, with one employee saying it could become a regular occurrence.
Staff at Canada Water were hit with a bout of illness meaning TFL employees were relocated from Bermondsey, disabling the station from 7am to 11am, June 3.
A customer service assistant working at stations across south-east London, who wished to stay anonymous, claimed: “It’s happening more and more because of stress-related sickness.
“People are fed up and it’s because of the long hours that are expected of us. There’s some stints where you have to do eight early or late shifts in a row.
He believes if 600 London Underground staff are cut, as TfL has proposed to remedy financial problems, similar closures could increase.
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A TfL spokesperson said emergency closures were “rare” and that they “work hard to minimise closures as far as possible”.
They added: “We have committed to our people and trade unions that we want to protect as many jobs as possible.
“All stations will continue to be staffed?from first train until last train?and staff will continue to be visible and available to help customers.”
But some commuters were unimpressed and expressed their dismay online. One twitter user wrote that the service provided to Londoners was “embarrassing” and that TfL “has no respect for the citizens that have to pay to go to work every day”.
Another person tweeted: “OK, Bermondsey station closed this morning cos of shortage of staff. Maybe wards in the hospitals should start closing too anytime there’s a shortage of staff.”
Every London Underground Station must have a minimum number of staff on shift to meet fire regulations. If staff fall below this number, the station must close or source staff from other stations.
TfL said Sunday’s Bermondsey closure was not related to the recent spike in Covid-19 cases.
A TfL spokesperson said: “The health and safety of our staff is of utmost importance and we ensure that rosters created for staff are manageable and provide reasonable time for any requests to change shifts. Over a two-week period, Customer Service Assistants may have 7 consecutive shifts scheduled, this is due to their rest days being scheduled before and after these shifts. In some cases, this results in 4 consecutive rest days.
“Staff have visibility over their 18-week rosters throughout the year as shift patterns are repeated. This allows them to plan ahead and they are always given the ability to swap shifts with colleagues where needed. Local management is on hand to support staff.”
