Tube passengers have been hit disruption this evening after the RMT union proceeded with a planned 72-hours strike.
Earlier today two out of the three trade unions involved in Metronet, UNITE – Britain’s largest trade union, and the TSSA, have called off their strike after accepting assurances from both Metronet and Mayor Ken Livingstone that there will be no redundancies or forced transfers whilst the company is in administration.
They have also been given assurances that no Metronet employees will lose “a penny of their pensions”.
Mr Livingstone called tonight’s strike “one of the most purposeless ever called” adding “having received the guarantees requested by all of the trade unions, two of the unions, UNITE and the TSSA, have called off their strikes. But the RMT insists on proceeding with an action which will severely disrupt the lives of millions of Londoners and lose RMT members hundreds of pounds to no purpose.’”
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said he welcomed “the efforts the Mayor and TfL have put in to try to broker a deal” but said “the problem for all of us remains that Metronet and its administrator are the employer, and the qualified assurances they have given cover only the period of administration.”
Mr Crow said his members wanted to “be transferred to a public-sector organisation, and that is the only way in which their jobs and pensions can be protected.”
However London Underground Managing Director Tim O ‘Toole said the only result from the strike would be “that the lives of millions of Londoners are disrupted and RMT members will lose hundreds of pounds. Even at this late hour the RMT should take on board the good sense of their colleagues in UNITE and the TSSA and call off this strike.”
