TALKS aimed to resolving a dispute over Boxing Day pay for London Underground drivers have broken down, and the network is now set to be disrupted by industrial action on 26 December. Further walkouts have been called for 18 and 25 January.
The failure to reach agreement has been condemned by London Underground, but the drivers' union Aslef said there was 'strength of feeling' on the issue.
London Underground said: "Despite the efforts of LU to resolve the dispute, the Aslef leadership have demanded an additional £250 for their drivers to work on Boxing Day, on top of their salaries that already include working on Boxing Day. In return they only offered to return to talks in January.
"Today LU sought to resolve the dispute by offering a trial period of voluntary overtime and rest day working that could have allowed a payment to be made to those train operators that worked Boxing Day. All suggestions were rejected by the Aslef leadership."
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan responded: "We are seeking quite reasonable assurances: that working on this day will be voluntary and that those who do attend will be adequately compensated. It is beyond belief that management cannot make an offer that achieves these points."
The strike is only one of several which seem likely to disrupt holiday travel. ScotRail RMT members are staging a two-day walkout just before Christmas in a dispute about the sacking of a ticket examiner, while CrossCountry onboard staff are also staging a 24-hour strike on Friday after the RMT claimed that there had been a 'complete breakdown of industrial relations' at the company.