The RMT have called for direct talks with Mayor of London Boris Johnson just a day after announcing two 48-hour strikes by staff employed by Tube Lines.
The union yesterday said the strikes, scheduled for 23rd June and 14th July, are necessary following “the failure of TfL and the company to give concrete assurances on jobs, pay and working conditions.”
Today RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said “With TFL and the Mayor making a big noise about buying out and taking over Tube Lines they also need to take responsibilty for the mess that the company have left behind and that includes the dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions with the Tube Lines employees.”
Crow said the Mayor “needs to show some real leadership and that means direct talks with RMT now that he is calling the shots at Tube Lines.”
Yesterday a spokesperson for Transport for London called on the RMT to “enter proper dialogue with us after our acquisition of Tube Lines” and said the deal with Tube Lines shareholders for TfL to acquire the company “will generate substantial savings for TfL and enable us to upgrade the Tube to a timetable that suits Londoners and in a way which is much less disruptive for our customers and businesses in future.”