A planned Tube strike by RMT members has been suspended by the union after London Underground reinstated one driver and agreed to hold talks over the future of another.
Commuters in the capital were facing six days of strikes in a row between over the sackings of Arwyn Thomas and Eamon Lynch which the RMT said were due to their union activities, a claim denied by LU.
Last week an employment tribunal ruled in favour of Mr Lynch’s unfair dismissal claim, prompting union calls for Tube bosses to engage in “immediate” talks to “avoid plunging London in to two blocks of strike action that everyone knows will lead to massive disruption.”
Today the Union said it was suspended the planned strikes after Mr Lynch was re-instated.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said the dispute “has only ever been about securing justice for our members who have been unfairly dismissed.”
“I want to pay tribute to the loyalty and determination of our members on London Underground who have continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with their colleagues Eamonn and Arwyn.
Their strength and courage has been a shining example to the entire trade union movement.”
LU says it has reinstated Mr Lynch in response “to the results of the employment tribunal, not to the threat of strike action.”
