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Tube strike: Walkout expected in ticket office dispute | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A strike on London Underground is due to start later, unless a last-minute settlement can be reached. | |
Members of two unions are due to walk out for 48 hours from 21:00 GMT - and again on 11 February. Transport for London plans to run a limited service. | |
RMT union leader Bob Crow spoke briefly to London Mayor Boris Johnson on a radio show, but there was no agreement on the issue of ticket office closures. | |
Transport for London (TfL) said it would be willing to continue talks. | |
Plans to close ticket offices and cut 750 jobs would save £50m a year, TfL has said. | |
'Complete nonsense' | |
Mr Crow and Manuel Cortes, the general secretaries of the RMT and TSSA unions, earlier went to City Hall to seek talks with the mayor of London. | |
Mr Crow spoke to the mayor during his phone-in show on London's LBC radio, where he urged Mr Johnson to suspend the job cuts. | |
"We are not here to score points - all we want is an opportunity to negotiate about the Tube," he said. | |
"We are asking you to listen to our point of view. We would love to call the strike off." | |
Mr Johnson said it was "complete nonsense" and he was more than "happy to engage on these issues". | |
"Call off this pointless strike which will do nothing other than cost your members their wages," Mr Johnson said. | |
On Monday the conciliation service Acas said seven days of talks had ended without an agreement. | |
Speaking to BBC London 94.9, London Underground chief operating officer Phil Hufton said: "We are still trying to find a way round this and if I can do anything possible to change this I will." | |
The strikes will affect all Underground lines. Trains that do run will not stop at all stations, including a number in central London. | The strikes will affect all Underground lines. Trains that do run will not stop at all stations, including a number in central London. |
Bus fears | |
Commuter Brenda Hussey, who normally takes the Tube from Southgate to her workplace in Warren Street, central London, said she would be commuting by bus during the walkout. | |
"I'll be getting the bus at 05:30 tomorrow morning," she said. | "I'll be getting the bus at 05:30 tomorrow morning," she said. |
"I'm very concerned if I'll get on the bus or not. | |
"I don't agree with the strike, especially as the fares have gone up, and this is becoming increasingly frustrating as it's going to be next week as well." | |