This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/03/london-tube-strikes-called-off

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
London tube strikes called off London tube strikes called off
(35 minutes later)
Planned strikes by London Underground workers from Sunday evening have been suspended, the RMT union said. Planned strikes by London Underground workers that were expected to cause widespread disruption on Monday and Tuesday next week have been suspended.
Two walkouts in a dispute over job cuts and safety would have severely disrupted journeys in the capital over four days from Sunday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union were due to walk out for 16 hours from 6pm on Sunday and again for 15 hours from 10am on Tuesday in a dispute over job losses.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union were due to walk out for 16 hours from 6pm on Sunday and again for 15 hours from 10am on Tuesday. But the RMT said after talks with Transport for London (TfL) that almost 60% of the original job cuts had been reversed.
The union said on Friday, however, that after talks with the company, almost 60% of the original job cuts had been reversed. The dispute was ignited by the closure of ticket offices when Boris Johnson was London mayor in 2014. Under a cost-cutting plan up to 953 station staff were due to lose their jobs. The RMT says that after its campaign, including several strikes, 533 of those jobs have been reinstated.
Station ticket offices were closed and staff job cut by around 900 under the previous London mayor, Boris Johnson. The current mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was delighted that the strike had been suspended. “This shows what we can achieve by talking and engaging with staff,” he tweeted.
The RMT said its campaign, including industrial action, had led to 533 jobs being reinstated, and control rooms being reopened. In a statement he also said the agreement reached with the union was “a excellent deal that will ensure commuters get the service they need at underground stations, and … fix the mess created by the previous mayor”.
The general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “The fighting stance taken by RMT members since the jobs cull on our tube stations was first announced has reversed nearly 60% of those savage cuts. Delighted we have been able to get the tube strikes suspended. This shows what we can achieve by talking and engaging with staff. pic.twitter.com/5FyBRzzo0M
“That is a tremendous victory and a reflection of the resilience and determination of our reps and the membership right across London Underground. The RMT claimed the concessions represented a “tremendous victory” and particularly welcomed an agreement to reopen control rooms and a guarantee of promotion into safety-critical grades for customer service assistants.
“We will now continue to work on implementation of the new staffing arrangements at the local level and, as always, RMT remains eternally vigilant.” Last month a 24-hour strike by members of the RMT and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association forced the closure of almost all central London tube stations, causing severe disruption and gridlocked streets.
The TSSA, which represents almost 20% of the 3,700 underground station staff, had already suspended a planned strike after TfL committed to restoring 325 posts.
The RMT’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “The fighting stance taken by RMT members since the jobs cull on our tube stations was first announced has reversed nearly 60% of those savage cuts.
“That is a tremendous victory and a reflection of the resilience and determination of our reps and the membership right across London Underground. We will now continue to work on implementation of the new staffing arrangements at the local level and as always RMT remains eternally vigilant.”
Before the suspension of the strike, TfL had advised passengers to allow more time for their journeys next week.