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Two 72-hour Tube strikes planned Series of Tube strikes announced
(about 1 hour later)
Two 72-hour strikes are planned on the London Underground next month in a dispute over pay and conditions. A series of strikes are planned on the London Underground next month in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out on 6 and 10 September. Members of the Unite and Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) unions will hold 72-hour strikes on 3 and 10 September.
A 48-hour strike by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) will begin on 4 September.
They are protesting over job losses faced by Metronet staff, after the firm responsible for the maintenance of nine Tube lines went into administration.They are protesting over job losses faced by Metronet staff, after the firm responsible for the maintenance of nine Tube lines went into administration.
Earlier this week the union's members on the London Underground voted overwhelmingly for strike action. Metronet had planned to invest £17bn over the next 30 years under the terms of a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, but went into administration in July amid serious financial problems.
Earlier this week the three unions' 2,500 members on the London Underground voted overwhelmingly for strike action.
Public sector
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The bottom line is that they will not accept being made to pay for the failure of the PPP and the decision by Metronet's fat-cat shareholders to walk away from the contract, and that means no job losses, no forced transfers and no cuts in pension entitlements.
"Our members are the people who get out there and keep the Tube running seven days a week, and it is they who will deliver the improvement the network must have if it is to be up to the standard required by the 2012 Olympics.
"The PPP stands in the way of those improvements, and the time has come to return the work to the public sector where it belongs."
TSSA general secretary Gerry Doherty said: "Our members are not renowned for their militancy and striking for 48 hours is a big step for them.
"However, they have very real concerns that they will be made to pay for the failure of the PPP in the hands of Metronet and they do not feel that their employer or the administrator are listening to them."
Transport for London has yet to comment.