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Tube employees vote for strike Tube employees vote for strike
(19 minutes later)
Thousands of Tube workers have voted in favour of industrial action in a row over employment, a union has said. Hundreds 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.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.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 the Metronet consortium planned to break an earlier agreement by transferring workers to its parent 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: "Our members have demonstrated their anger at Metronet reneging on an agreement they made only a year or so ago.
"It will also mean more fragmentation on a network that has already seen safety undermined by part-privatisation." "This dispute is about honouring agreements and defending our members' pay, conditions and organisation
"It is also about resisting dangerous fragmentation that our members already have too much bitter experience of."