Night Tube: Two unions to ballot for strikes over pay deal

The Night Tube service will run on five lines on Fridays and Saturdays

Maintenance workers on the London Underground (LU) are to be balloted for strikes after union executives rejected a deal over the proposed Night Tube.

Tubelines maintenance staff represented by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will vote on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action.

On Wednesday, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said it would issue ballot papers to control staff after also rejecting the agreement.

Only one union has agreed to the offer.

RMT Tube staff who are not with Tubelines unanimously backed the pay and conditions deal on Tuesday.

Read more on this and other London stories.

TfL have accused TSSA of demanding more pay for its members compared to other unions

Tubelines was a separate firm but is now part of Transport for London (TfL).

It has about 1,000 RMT members and maintains three of the lines the 24-hour service will run on.

General secretary Mick Cash said RMT members within Tubelines had "unanimously thrown out" the deal and were "furious" LU management had tried to "tie in attacks on pensions" with the pay deal.

LU chief operating officer Steve Griffiths said the offer was "full and final" and more negotiations were planned for next week.

The Night Tube was originally meant to begin on 12 September 2015

The TSSA's Manuel Cortes accused LU of "continuing to drag out this unnecessary dispute", saying it had "spent four months refusing to negotiate".

TfL said the TSSA had demanded more money than that offered to other unions but "hasn't explained why their members... deserve a higher pay award".

Members of the drivers' union ASLEF are voting on the offer and have been advised to back the deal.

Unite has not agreed to the Night Tube pay offer.

The 24-hour Night Tube service was meant to begin in September last year but has been delayed by the ongoing pay and conditions dispute.

What is the pay deal offered?

The proposed agreement includes a 2% pay rise in year one, Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation or 1% (whichever is greater) in years two and three, and RPI plus 0.25% or 1% (whichever is greater) in year four.

There will also be a £500 bonus for staff on lines where the Night Tube will run.

A £500 bonus will be given to station staff for the "successful implementation of the new staff model".