Tube workers vote to strike over pay, union says

Union members have backed walkouts as well as other forms of industrial action

London Underground workers have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, a trade union has confirmed.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union backed walkouts and other forms of industrial action.

The union said the votes met the legal thresholds for industrial action ballots and its officials would meet on Wednesday to discuss the next steps.

Transport for London (TfL) has said it has given its best offer and it remains open for discussions with the union.

TfL said: "We are disappointed that RMT has achieved a mandate for strike action based on our full and final pay offer.

"We have been clear throughout our productive discussions with our trade unions that this offer is the most we can afford whilst ensuring that we can operate safely, reliably and sustainably.

"We remain open for discussions and will do everything in our power to avoid disruption to Londoners."

It said it had offered staff a 5% pay increase for 2023 and that some roles on the Tube attracted a pay range that had been frozen for this year.

It added this impacted "less than 2% of London Underground colleagues".

On Friday, the trade union Aslef accepted a new pay offer for Tube drivers in the capital.

Aslef's full-time organiser on London Underground, Finn Brennan, said: "This offer means we have achieved, for our Tube train driver members, a 13.8% pay rise over two years.

"It is a no-strings offer, which shows that agreements can be reached without industrial action, when employers are prepared to sit round the table and negotiate a settlement."

TfL is trying to make about £230m of savings as part of a government funding deal that was agreed in August 2022.

The transport authority has received six bailouts from the government after its revenues plummeted in the pandemic.

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