LONDON Underground has urged the RMT to start talks over a dispute about all-night services.
The union says the terms of employment of Night Tube operators are ‘blatantly discriminatory’, because the part time staff involved have been barred from moving to vacant full-time positions for at least 18 months. They are also not eligible for overtime pay until they are working 35 hours a week.
The union is now preparing to ballot Night Tube staff for strikes or action short of a strike.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It is outrageous that London Underground have decided to discriminate against their Night Tube drivers. This is a senseless and damaging policy that picks out one group of staff for negative treatment and of course the drivers are angry and that is why we are balloting for action.
“RMT would call on LU to see sense, stop these stupid attacks on career progression and fair reward for overtime working and confirm that this discrimination against the Night Tube drivers has been lifted.”
London Underground operations director Peter McNaught said: “Night tube services have been running since August last year in line with agreements reached with the unions.
“We invite the RMT to meet with us to discuss any issues that need to be resolved and there is no need to threaten industrial action.”
The launch of Night Tube came almost a year later than planned, because of a prolonged dispute over pay and conditions for train and station staff working through Friday and Saturday nights.
When the first services began last August, Mick Cash had warned: “RMT will be maintaining a policy of ‘extreme vigilance’ with our reps monitoring issues like safety, security and the impact on staff of running services round the clock. The union will also continue to resist any attempts to deliver Night Tube on the cheap.”
Transport for London wants to extend weekend all-night services to subsurface lines such as the Metropolitan and District when a major resignalling project has been completed. It is also planning to run 24-hour trains in due course on parts of London Overground and the Docklands Light Railway.