London Underground workers vote on strike action over night Tube service

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said voting for the strike ballot will close on the 30 June

Workers at London Underground are to vote on whether to take strike action over the planned all-night Tube.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will decide by 30 June whether they want to take industrial action.

The union is calling for above-inflation pay rises and an assurance there will be safe staffing levels when the service starts in September.

London Underground said the news of the ballot was "bizarre and unnecessary".

'Absolute chaos'

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Nobody should be under any illusions, the night running plan has been cobbled together on the hoof and will rip up the safety rule book.

"Monday mornings will be absolute chaos as the network struggles to get back into gear after running flat out, round the clock through the weekend."

The RMT union is also asking that LU staff are not forced to do night or weekend work.

George Osborne and Boris Johnson claimed the Night Tube would add £6.4bn to the London economy by 2030

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and the drivers' union Aslef are also holding strike ballots.

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA, said: "Boris Johnson is not going to get a first-class night Tube up and running by September if he makes a second-class pay offer to the staff who will be expected to deliver it on time."

Transport for London has denied there will be any safety issues and said it had made a fair pay offer to staff, which includes a two-year deal and extra for the night Tube.

London Underground director Nick Brown said: "We are still in the midst of these negotiations and all parties have agreed that there is much still to discuss, which makes news of the strike ballots all the more bizarre and unnecessary.

"We encourage the trade unions to make themselves available to continue our talks at Acas.

"We want to reach a settlement that rewards our hard-working staff and is fair, affordable and sustainable."

All-night services are expected to run on Fridays and Saturdays on the Piccadilly, Victoria, Central, Jubilee and Northern lines from September.