London Underground: Two 24-hour Tube strikes to go ahead, union says

The RMT union said it remained available for talks to resolve the dispute

Two 24-hour Tube strikes will go ahead after talks with transport bosses broke down, the RMT union has said.

Some 10,000 London Underground workers who are union members have been told to walk out at 00:01 GMT on 1 and 3 March.

The dispute is over plans by Transport for London (TfL) to cut up to 600 station posts, as well as concerns over pay, pensions and working conditions.

TfL described the action as "extremely disappointing" and said no jobs would be lost as part of the proposals.

Walkouts are due to run from 00:01 GMT until 23:59 on both days. The action is separate to the ongoing Night Tube strikes over rotas.

The announcement comes three days after the government agreed to continue its bailout for TfL, while a deal is worked out to secure its long-term funding.

Six lines were affected by a tube strike in November

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Our members will be taking strike action next week because a financial crisis at London Underground Limited has been deliberately engineered by the government to drive a cuts' agenda which would savage jobs, services, safety and threaten their working conditions and‎ pensions.

"The sheer scale of that threat was confirmed in talks yesterday."

He added: "Politicians need to wake up to the fact that transport staff will not pay the price for this cynically engineered crisis.

"These are the very same transport staff praised as heroes for carrying London through Covid for nearly two years, often at serious personal risk, who now have no option but to strike to defend their livelihoods."

Mr Lynch said the union remained available at talks to resolve the dispute.

• 'Solid support' for longest-ever Tube strikes

• Fresh strikes to hit London's Night Tube

Andy Lord, TfL's chief operating officer, warned of potential disruption to passengers.

He said: "TfL haven't proposed any changes to pensions or terms and conditions, and nobody has or will lose their jobs because of the proposals we have set out.

"I hope the RMT will get around the table with us, continue talks and call off this disruptive action, which will cause huge frustration for our customers and further financial damage to TfL and London's economy when we should be working together to rebuild following the pandemic."

Almost 60% of Tube services operated during the last day-time strike which took place across six lines in November.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Night Tube strikes continue on the Central and Victoria lines every Friday and Saturday night until 19 June as part of a separate dispute.

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