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Tube employees vote for strike | |
(about 12 hours later) | |
Thousands of Tube workers have voted in favour of industrial action in a row over employment, a union has said. | |
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members, employed by maintenance firm Metronet, voted by 750 to 60 in favour of strike action. | |
The RMT, which is angry at plans to transfer staff into parent firms, will announce its next steps shortly. | |
Metronet has said any industrial action would be "unjustified and unwarranted" as discussions were ongoing. | Metronet has said any industrial action would be "unjustified and unwarranted" as discussions were ongoing. |
The RMT said Metronet planned to break an earlier agreement by transferring workers to other firms. | The RMT said Metronet planned to break an earlier agreement by transferring workers to other firms. |
'Maximising profits' | 'Maximising profits' |
The union said that if strikes went ahead, more than two-thirds of the Tube system would be crippled. | The union said that if strikes went ahead, more than two-thirds of the Tube system would be crippled. |
Metronet is the consortium responsible for maintaining and upgrading parts of the Tube. | Metronet is the consortium responsible for maintaining and upgrading parts of the Tube. |
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "Forcing transfer is about maximising profits and undermining our members' organisation, pay and conditions. | RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "Forcing transfer is about maximising profits and undermining our members' organisation, pay and conditions. |
"It will also mean more fragmentation on a network that has already seen safety undermined by part-privatisation." | "It will also mean more fragmentation on a network that has already seen safety undermined by part-privatisation." |