This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/07/rmt-walks-out-of-talks-aimed-at-averting-london-tube-strike

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
RMT walks out of talks aimed at averting London tube strike London Underground makes last-ditch effort to avert tube strike
(35 minutes later)
Britain’s biggest rail union has left talks aimed at averting a strike by London Underground workers, dashing hopes of a last-minute deal. London Underground (LU) has made a last-minute offer to try to avert a strike that will cause travel chaos for millions of passengers.
A second union also met with the company to discuss a dispute over jobs and ticket office closures, and was made a new offer that it will put to its members on Saturday night. The move came on the fourth day of talks between the company and officials from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA). No details were given of the offer.
Members of the two unions are due to stage a 24-hour strike from 6pm on Sunday. Union members are due to walk out for 24 hours from 6pm on Sunday in a dispute over jobs and ticket office closures.
Officials from the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) met London Underground under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas for a fourth day of talks. The RMT left the meeting without any sign of progress being made. The TSSA said it will consult with its representatives overnight before deciding whether to call off the action. The RMT delegation had left the meeting at Acas, the conciliation service, before the offer was made.
The TSSA general secretary, Manuel Cortes, remained at Acas after the RMT, making it clear he was determined to continue trying to break the deadlock. In a message to RMT members, regional organiser John Leach said that the talks had “failed” and the strike will go ahead. “We saw LU face to face and reiterated our position on the key issues of the dispute. We demanded that they guarantee the staffing of all station control rooms. We demanded that the current offer of 150 additional jobs be significantly improved and guaranteed to not be lowered under any circumstances.
He said after the meeting ended: “London Underground have made us a new offer. We will now share its contents with our reps and seek their views overnight.” “LU’s response was to repeat their offer of yesterday. This is just not acceptable. The unsafe practices and pressure on staff and passengers have to be resisted and will be.”
A TSSA source said: “We really are more concerned about working out how to undo the staffing and safety problems [the former London mayor] Boris Johnson and [the former chancellor] George Osborne bequeathed to the tube. An RMT spokesman told the Press Association that the hundreds of job cuts agreed by Boris Johnson, London’s former mayor, had been a “disaster” and should be reversed. “The cuts have gone too far and it is the staff who are highlighting the impact on moving millions of people every day.”
“Resolving these issues so staff can work in a safe place and know they’ve got procedures in place to protect and keep safe their passengers are what concern our overworked, over-tired and over-abused tube staff. That takes talking.” A spokesman for the RMT said more than 800 jobs had been lost under the so-called Fit for the Future programme, adding that LU was only offering to reinstate 150. The RMT added that London Underground was refusing to reopen any of the closed ticket offices.
An RMT spokesman said that more than 800 jobs had been axed under the Fit for the Future programme, which was agreed by Johnson. The spokesman added that the programme had been a “disaster” and should be reversed. The TSSA’s general secretary, Manuel Cortes, said: “London Underground [has] made us a new offer. We will now share its contents with our reps and seek their views overnight.”
The RMT said London Underground was refusing to reopen any of the closed ticket offices. A spokesman for Transport for London said: “Talks have concluded for the day. We have made a proposal to the unions and we await their response.”
“The cuts have gone too far and it is the staff who are highlighting the impact on moving millions of people every day.” The RMT has more members on the tube than the TSSA.
In a message to RMT members, regional organiser John Leach made it clear that the talks had “failed” and the strike will go ahead. Transport for London has advised passengers that there will be a severely reduced service across the tube network on Sunday evening and all day on Monday if the strike goes ahead.
He said: “We saw London Underground face to face and reiterated our position on the key issues of the dispute. We demanded that they guarantee the staffing of all station control rooms. We demanded that the current offer of 150 additional jobs be significantly improved and guaranteed to not be lowered under any circumstances. An Acas spokesman said: “Talks have now adjourned. The parties have no plans to return to Acas.”
“London Underground’s response was to repeat their offer of yesterday. This is just not acceptable. The unsafe practices and pressure on staff and passengers have to be resisted and will be.” More information about how TfL services will be affected by the strike is available on their website
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesman said: “We are still in dispute resolution talks at Acas and will remain available for talks throughout the weekend.”
A company source said the RMT left the talks without giving TfL the opportunity to share any further proposals with them.
Information regarding the planned strike can be found on the TfL website.