London Underground staff in various grades are set to strike between tomorrow and 11 January in the continuing dispute with Transport for London over job conditions, but the union has extended a last-minute olive branch to TfL by calling for ‘unconditional talks’ at the conciliation service ACAS.
The RMT said it had been invited to talks with TfL earlier this week after London Underground workers had voted in favour of ‘rolling strike action’ by over 90 per cent against a ‘below inflation pay offer’.
The union is also protesting about what it says is the creation of a ‘two-tier workforce’, and is calling for full staff travel passes to be restored.
General secretary Mick Lynch said that workers ‘were not going to accept poor offers and the continual undermining of conditions.’
He continued: ‘The refusal of TfL to restore staff travel facilities and create a two-tier workforce is also unacceptable.
‘Our members have made it clear that they are prepared to take action and we urge TfL to enter into meaningful conciliatory talks to avert disruption in the capital.’
Unless progress is made at ACAS, engineering train drivers are due to walk out from tomorrow night, RMT members in LUL’s network controls will take action on 7 and 8 January, staff in signalling and service control centres will take action on 9 and 11 January, and all other London Underground RMT members are due to walk out next week, on 8 and 10 January.
Railnews has invited TfL to comment.