Union reps and Tube bosses get talks underway to try and stop a repeat of last week’s Tube strike chaos
Commuters, keep your fingers crossed for talks today aimed at avoiding the Tube chaos of last week, when a 24-hour walkout shut down numerous Zone 1 stations.
The talks, at conciliation service Acas, are taking place to try and hash out a resolution to the dispute over staffing levels at stations.
Officials from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Transport Salaried Staffs' Association are sitting down with London Underground representatives today. Members of the unions staged a 24-hour strike from 6pm on Sunday, causing a host of travel headaches for commuters and businesses alike.
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Last week, the RMT said "the next phase" in industrial action on the matter will take place from 6 February should London Underground (LU) fail "to come forward with serious proposals as a basis for further negotiation". The unions have been protesting the closure of ticket offices under previous mayor Boris Johnson.
While Transport for London (TfL) said it had always agreed to review staffing levels and started to recruit another 150 members of staff, the unions said this wasn't enough.
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Steve Griffiths, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "We look forward to resuming talks at Acas today in order to make progress towards resolving this dispute."
RMT general secretary Mick Cash, said: "We now need a move away from the piecemeal and incremental approach to tackling this crisis and for LU to come forward with a serious package of proposals."