22.01.16
Night Tube back on track as three unions abandon strike plans
London Underground managers are hoping to get the Night Tube back on track for a 2016 launch date after three unions abandoned plans to strike over the coming weeks.
In a revised pay offer sent to unions yesterday, LU proposed a minimum 1% in the fourth year settlement, to give the guarantee of a raise if RPI happened to fall below zero. The £500 bonus, initially offered to Night Tube staff, will also be extended to all operational workers.
LU said the bonus payment was being extended to recognise the fact that the all-night service will first be rolled out on the Central, Piccadilly, Jubilee, Victoria and Northern Lines, and then onto other services “in future years”.
Its managers have agreed to trial a four-day working week of 36 hours, to be tested for six months on the Jubilee Line on or before November. If the pilot is successful, the new model will potentially be implemented across the rest of the network.
Three of the four unions originally threatening to strike this week and mid-February have already abandoned their plans. Aslef suspended its threat yesterday morning after talks at Acas progressed further, and Unite pulled out on Monday to allow for more constructive talks to continue.
TSSA cancelled its strike action yesterday afternoon following a meeting with its representatives. But its general secretary, Manuel Cortes, warns that the industrial action planned for February 15 and 17 may still go ahead as the union remains in dispute with LU management.
“It does appear that LU management have at long last started to listen so in an act of their good will towards our passengers and as a further show of our good faith towards LU, we won't take industrial action next week,” he said.
“But we do remain in dispute with them over very serious issues related to station safety and security and so can't rule out future strike action pencilled in for February.
“Again I call on Boris Johnson to show good faith towards tube workers and London's commuters by putting their safety above political posturing for Tory backbenchers from the shires and ask him to meet directly with me to resolve these matters once and for all.”
RMT union is the only one left to decide whether to strike or not. After receiving the revised offer yesterday, its representatives said the National Executive Committee will be meeting on Monday (25 January) to discuss the matter.
Its threat to strike on 26 January remains in place until further notice.
(Top image c. Anthony Devlin, PA Wire)