Tube strikes: RMT given 24 hours to avoid travel carnage
Transport for London has warned the RMT union that it has just 24 hours to stop a major tube strike next week, which is set to shut down every Underground line and the DLR.
The union has rejected a pay deal and made a series of demands around working hours and perks, making a settlement ahead of the Friday night deadline feel more challenging than ever.
RMT boss Eddie Dempsey has demanded a 32-hour working week, citing “fatigue and extreme shift rotations”.
According to a report in the Standard, the two sides are not close to a deal, with TfL describing the calls for a shorter working week as “unaffordable”.
An official told the Standard: “It’s not something that we are going to entertain.”
“We are not going to go below 35 hours. It’s unaffordable.”
Meanwhile, Nick Dent, TfL’s director of London Underground customer operations said that the deal for staff is already “the best in the industry”.
He added: “Even half an hour off the working week would cost tens of millions of pounds for the organisation.”
An already enviable employment package
The report suggests that London Mayor Sadiq Khan is staying well away from the dispute, after controversially handing over £30m of City Hall budget last year to avoid a strike.
London Underground staff already get some a strong package of employment benefits, from a current 35-hour working week to free travel across the entire TfL network for employees – even for an additional family member or friend.
Overtime adds up into annual leave, which typically gives staff another 15 days of annual leave on top of the
Tube drivers earn upwards of £70,000, while TfL jobs are highly sought and senior positions are often only open to internal applicants.
Station staff earn a minimum of £35,000, and this figure is normally upped to £46,000 within a year of working there.
An RMT spokesperson said on Thursday that it believes that TfL are the blockers to a deal, claiming that discussions had been “disappointing” and the organisation has been “intransigent”.
The union added: “Overtures have been made by RMT to break the impasse but have been rejected so far. Meanwhile, the strikes remain on.”