Christmas is ruined for a family-owned Borough restaurant, which has seen hundreds of booking cancellations due to the train strikes.
Giuseppe’s Place on Borough High Street is losing thousands of pounds every week because diners can’t get there.
Restauranteur father-and-daughter duo Giuseppe Rossi and Lisa Cormack said the impact had been “soul-destroying”.
Lisa, whose trade is a fifth of what it should be this time of year, said: “We’re losing thousands and thousands of pounds and now we’re struggling to keep going.
“Lots of people commute into London for work so when the strikes happen, companies are canceling their Christmas dos.
“I take a lot of the bookings so coming in and seeing all the cancellations has been absolutely soul-destroying!”
Giuseppe’s, which is still reeling from the impact of successive Covid lockdowns, has served Italian food to diners for over thirty years.
They survived Covid-19, but the railway strikes, which started in June, have thrown another spanner in the works, with no government support to help this time.
The area around Borough is served by Southeastern, Thameslink and London Overground – all hit by the latest wave of industrial action.
Workers at these companies are striking on December 13 to 14, 16 to 17 and 24 to 27. Rail companies are advising customers not to travel on these dates.
Industry body UKHospitality, says the hit to revenues could total £1.5bn, with around 30 per cent of Christmas bookings cancelled on strike days. For a central London business like Giuseppe’s, that number is even greater.
Lisa said: “We agree that all staff should be treated fairly and paid well but even with this ongoing strike action, they’re no closer to resolving it.
“It seems like it’s not been an effective way of resolving the situation and it’s hurting businesses who are struggling to carry on.”
Unions RMT and TSSA have been approached for comment.
An advent calendar of disruption – Southwark strikes over Christmas