The first day of negotiations between RMT and London Underground to avert next week’s Tube strikes have failed.
RMT union members will stage a 48-hour Tube strike on Monday 28 April. The second strike will go ahead for 72 hours on 5 May.
The strike is being held over closure of 260 Tube ticket offices that will lead to 960 job cuts.
In an open letter to Tube users, London Underground boss Mike Brown said: “Staff will be brought out from behind glass screens and hidden back offices to serve customers better.
“Everything that customers can do at a ticket office window will be available to them more readily, with LU staff helping, at ticket machines, online or by telephone.
“There will be even more staff available to help customers with disabilities.”
RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said:
“While talks continue today it does no one any favours that the TFL management have resorted to spinning politically-motivated lies and smears at the same time as they have reneged on their promises for a full and thorough station by station review of the cuts and closures. RMT is demanding that that process be put back on track with the cuts juggernaut halted.
“Staff are furious that while senior management pay and staffing levels are being allowed to roar ahead the jobs and pay of the core, station based staff who are the interface with the travelling public are being torn to ribbons. The assurances that were given at the time RMT suspended the original action for a proper evaluation of the cuts plans have been ripped up and thrown back in our faces.
“RMT has had no option but to put on further strike action in the expectation that the management will now halt these dangerous cuts plans and engage in meaningful and serious talks on the future of a tube network running at full tilt, with further demands in the pipeline, which needs more staff and not less to operate safely.”
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