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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| London tube strikes called off | London tube strikes called off |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Planned strikes by London Underground workers that were expected to cause widespread disruption on Monday and Tuesday next week have been suspended. | Planned strikes by London Underground workers that were expected to cause widespread disruption on Monday and Tuesday next week have been suspended. |
| 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 (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. |
| But the RMT said after talks with Transport for London (TfL) that almost 60% of the original job cuts had been reversed. | But the RMT said after talks with Transport for London (TfL) that almost 60% of the original job cuts had been reversed. |
| The dispute was ignited by the closure of ticket offices when Boris Johnson was mayor of London 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. | |
| The current mayor, Sadiq Khan, said he was delighted the strike had been suspended. “This shows what we can achieve by talking and engaging with staff,” he tweeted. | |
| In a statement he also said the agreement reached with the union was “an excellent deal that will ensure commuters get the service they need at underground stations, and … fix the mess created by the previous mayor”. | |
| 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 | 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 |
| The RMT claimed the concessions represented a “tremendous victory” and said it particularly welcomed an agreement to reopen control rooms and a guarantee of promotion into safety-critical grades for customer service assistants. | |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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.” | “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.” |
| Steve Griffiths, chief operating officer for London Underground, said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with both unions and we welcome the RMT’s decision to suspend the strike action planned for next week. | |
| “We agree that we need more staff in our stations and we will be recruiting at least 650 new station staff this year, of which 325 will be additional new roles. The remainder will comprise supervisor and customer service assistant roles and are expected to be a mix of both full time and part time. “We will continue working with the unions as well as implementing the independent recommendations made by the London TravelWatch review to help meet the needs of our customers and to ensure they feel safe, fully supported and able to access the right assistance at all times.” | |
| Before the suspension of the strike, TfL had advised passengers to allow more time for their journeys next week. | Before the suspension of the strike, TfL had advised passengers to allow more time for their journeys next week. |