London Underground workers to be balloted on tube strikes in pay row
London Underground’s thousands of workers are to be balloted on tube strikes as the long-running dispute over pay continues.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has said it will ballot the 10,000 staff across the underground after more than a year of negotiating yielded no results.
The union said London Underground had failed to meet “the very reasonable” demands of its workforce.
It said it was “angry and frustrated” at the delay in negotiations.
It argued the workforce were deserving of a deal that “fully recognises the enormous efforts of staff to keep London moving against a backdrop of overcrowding, creaking infrastructure and surging levels of violence and assaults”.
However Transport for London insist they have offered a fair deal and are willing to discuss “outstanding issues” in order to “avoid damaging strike action”.
A TfL spokesperson said: “We have offered a four-year pay deal which guarantees above-inflation rises.
“It reflects and rewards the hard work our staff do on the network every day while remaining affordable in a difficult financial climate. We remain available to meet to discuss the outstanding issues and seek to avoid damaging strike action.”
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “After over a year of intensive talks aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement on tube pay RMT reps are angry and frustrated that London Underground have now stalled that process and failed to come up with an offer that would fully recognise the efforts of their workforce day in and day out.
“London is a wealthy business centre and those staff who work round the clock to keep the city moving deserve their fair share.
“The preparations for the ballot are well underway and we will be campaigning hard for a massive YES vote. It is not too late for the Mayor, in this election year, to intervene and send his officials back to the table with a decent and responsible offer to settle this dispute. In the meantime RMT remains available for talks.”
Morning Wire has approached the Mayor’s office for comment.