RMT union and TfL hold talks to thwart Piccadilly Line strike this week
The RMT rail union and London Underground are holding talks at conciliation service Acas this morning to try and thwart a strike that will shut down the Piccadilly Line from Wednesday through to the weekend.
The strike will force the entire line out of action from Wednesday 26 September until the Saturday. If the strike goes ahead there will also be no Night Tube on the Friday.
Service will stop by 1pm on the Wednesday and resume at about 3.30pm on the Friday, before winding down from 10pm. The line will be back up and running at 7.30am on Saturday between Heathrow and Cockfosters and between Uxbridge and Acton Town from about 8.30am.
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The RMT said the strike had been called due to a "breakdown in industrial relations and a comprehensive failure by management to deliver on promised improvements" following previous rounds of industrial action.
General secretary Mick Cash said: "This dispute is about a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations over a series of long-running unresolved grievances including the abuse of procedures and and failure to implement key safety and operational improvements agreed in the past with the union.
"RMT will be attending the talks this morning looking for serious progress. Our arrangements for the strike action starting Wednesday are all in place and the ball is firmly in London Underground's court."
Nigel Holness TfL’s director of network operations for London Underground, said: “We will provide customers with the latest information in order to help them plan their journeys during this possible strike action. The TfL website, journey planner and social media channels will all feature up-to-date travel advice and will be updated throughout the week. We have met with the RMT leadership to identify areas where we can work together to resolve this dispute. I urge them to continue to work constructively with us so that Londoners aren’t subjected to disruption across several days next week.”