Talks seek to halt Tube strike over 32-hour week

There will be little or no service on the Tube from Sunday to Thursday if the strikes go ahead

Talks between London Underground (LU) and the Rail, Maritime And Transport union (RMT) will try to avert a Tube strike which could bring the network to a standstill.

If the strikes go-ahead, there will be little or no service on the Tube from Sunday to Thursday as different groups of RMT members walk out in a rolling action over pay and fatigue management, and demands for a 32-hour week.

In a separate dispute, there will also be a strike and no service on the DLR on Tuesday and Thursday.

Transport for London (TfL) has offered a 3.4% pay rise and says it "welcomes further engagement with our unions", but that a reduction in the contractual 35-hour week "is neither practical nor affordable".

'Atmosphere of distrust'

The RMT has concerns over working and shift patterns, and how that affects the health and wellbeing of its members.

Resolving the issue of the reduction of a 32-hour week will be a challenge.

Last year, the mayor used £30m of Greater London Authority (GLA) funds to avert a Tube strike at the last minute.

He was later accused of misleading the London Assembly over the figure until it appeared in budget papers and unions had been briefed.

The RMT has called for Tube staff to move to a 32-hour working week

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.

"They are not after a king's ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members health and wellbeing - all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by LU management.

"Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.

"RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement."

A TfL spokesperson said: "We regularly meet with our trade unions to discuss any concerns that they may have, and we recently met with the RMT to discuss some specific points.

"We are committed to ensuring our colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4% pay increase in our ongoing pay discussions, we have made progress on a number of commitments we have made previously.

"Given the improvements we have recently put in place in response to concerns raised by our unions, we urge the RMT to put our fair, affordable pay offer to their members and to continue to engage with us rather than threaten strike action, which will only disrupt Londoners."