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 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/06/night-tube-talks-resume-strike-london-underground

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Night tube talks resume as strike looms Tube strike talks break down after 'final' offer
(about 3 hours later)
Talks aimed at averting a strike by thousands of London Underground workers have resumed, with time running out to reach a deal. Talks aimed at averting a tube strike have broken down after London Underground made a “full and final” offer that unions are set to reject.
Almost 20,000 workers are due to strike for 24 hours from Wednesday evening – budget day – in a dispute over new all-night tube services. Almost 20,000 workers are due to strike for 24 hours from 6.30pm on Wednesday – budget day – in a dispute over new all-night tube services. Four unions – the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Unite – are taking action, meaning the entire tube network is set to close throughout Thursday.
London Underground made its final pay offer during talks at Acas on Monday, including a 2% rise this year and a £2,000 bonues for drivers on the new all-night service.
The company gave unions a deadline of 6.30pm to respond, which union negotiators said was “not a serious way of doing business”. An Aslef spokesman said the ultimatum was “playground stuff”.
The RMT’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “Our representatives on London Underground have discussed it and are clear that it is divisive and unacceptable.”
Tube bosses said they would not be available for talks on Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London.
LU’s chief operating officer, Steve Griffiths, said in a message to staff that the offer would be withdrawn if strikes went ahead, as the loss of revenue would make it unaffordable.
TfL said the message was issued for the sake of transparency rather than in an attempt to bypass the talks.
The offer is for a 2% increase on basic pay, followed by at least 1% or RPI-matching increases in 2016 and 2017. A one-off bonus of £500 to staff on night tube lines and a £2,000 bonus for night tube drivers would also be paid. Night services are due to start on certain lines at weekends from mid-September.
TfL said: “If this goes ahead, there will be no tube service from late afternoon on Wednesday 8 July and no tube service at all on Thursday 9 July. All other public transport services and roads would, of course, be much busier than usual. We will be issuing detailed travel advice to customers as soon as we can.”
In a separate development, talks aimed at averting a 48-hour strike by workers on First Great Western trains have broken down. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are now set to walk out from 6.30pm on Wednesday.In a separate development, talks aimed at averting a 48-hour strike by workers on First Great Western trains have broken down. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are now set to walk out from 6.30pm on Wednesday.
The action, over jobs and maintenance of new Hitachi trains, will affect services between London and Wales and the West Country. Cricket fans going to Cardiff for the first Test of the Ashes series will be among those affected.The action, over jobs and maintenance of new Hitachi trains, will affect services between London and Wales and the West Country. Cricket fans going to Cardiff for the first Test of the Ashes series will be among those affected.
Talks over the tube dispute were held at the conciliation service Acas last week without any sign of progress, and both sides met again on Monday.
The RMT, Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Unite are unhappy over the pay being offered for the new service, due to start at weekends from mid-September, as well as rosters.
A strike by all four unions would cripple tube services, hitting the millions who use the underground every day, as well as tennis fans going to Wimbledon.
Transport for London said: “If this goes ahead, there will be no tube service from late afternoon on Wednesday 8 July and no tube service at all on Thursday 9 July. All other public transport services and roads would, of course, be much busier than usual. We will be issuing detailed travel advice to customers as soon as we can.”
The RMT accused First Great Western of “playing for time” in the talks and of “going through the motions” rather than addressing the issues.The RMT accused First Great Western of “playing for time” in the talks and of “going through the motions” rather than addressing the issues.
The RMT said it was campaigning to avoid job losses, keep a safety-competent guard on every train, maintain buffet car facilities and ensure that the maintenance of new rolling stock remains in-house.The RMT said it was campaigning to avoid job losses, keep a safety-competent guard on every train, maintain buffet car facilities and ensure that the maintenance of new rolling stock remains in-house.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “RMT has made every effort to secure a series of very basic assurances from FGW over jobs, services and safety as a result of the introduction of the new Hitachi fleet and they have shown no intention of addressing those issues in the talks today. Cash said: “RMT has made every effort to secure a series of very basic assurances from FGW over jobs, services and safety as a result of the introduction of the new Hitachi fleet and they have shown no intention of addressing those issues in the talks today.
“RMT is angry and disappointed that the company have ignored the massive vote for action by their staff and have instead opted to plough ahead with a series of actions that will decimate jobs, services and safety. As a result of FGW collapsing the talks in this cavalier fashion, the action goes ahead as planned.”“RMT is angry and disappointed that the company have ignored the massive vote for action by their staff and have instead opted to plough ahead with a series of actions that will decimate jobs, services and safety. As a result of FGW collapsing the talks in this cavalier fashion, the action goes ahead as planned.”
He added: “It is frankly ludicrous that East Coast, who are introducing the same trains, have given us the assurances we are seeking but FGW have ignored us and are crashing on with the ripping out of buffet cars and the threat to safety-critical station and train staff purely to maximise the profits from new trains bought for them by the British taxpayer. He added: “It is frankly ludicrous that East Coast, who are introducing the same trains, have given us the assurances we are seeking but FGW have ignored us and are crashing on with the ripping out of buffet cars and the threat to safety-critical station and train staff purely to maximise the profits from new trains bought for them by the British taxpayer.”
“RMT will be out at stations this week with a public campaign to expose this shabby and profiteering treatment of both passengers and staff alike by a company that already has one of the worst reputations in the industry for milking the rotten rail privatisation racket for every penny they can.” An FGW spokesman said: “We have already made assurances about job security and commitments to increase the number of staff on board super express trains. Today we have made a number of additional commitments that we believe meet the concerns of the RMT, while still allowing us to deliver the improvements our customers want to see.
A FGW spokesman said: “All we want is to make sure our services give the best possible deal for our passengers. These brand new trains have been designed to deliver more seats, and faster, more frequent journeys for passengers – but we can’t deliver those if they are operated in the same way as the 40-year-old trains that run today.
“We have already made assurances about job security and commitments to increase the number of staff on board super express trains. Today we have made a number of additional commitments that we believe meet the concerns of the RMT, while still allowing us to deliver the improvements our customers want to see.
“While it is disappointing that the RMT were not able to take this proposal away today, we believe a negotiated solution to these proposals is possible, and are keen to continue discussions as soon as possible.”“While it is disappointing that the RMT were not able to take this proposal away today, we believe a negotiated solution to these proposals is possible, and are keen to continue discussions as soon as possible.”