The row stems from plans by LU and Mayor Boris Johnson to introduce a new night Tube service from mid-September.
Transport for London and City Hall claim the service will support thousands of jobs and boost the capital’s economy and status as a tourist destination. However the start date was announced before reaching agreement with unions over pay and conditions.
Tube bosses say the hiring of 137 new drivers for the night service means existing staff are only being asked to work “a few extra nights per year” and have offered to pay all staff a £500 bonus, a 2% rise plus a £2,000 one-off bonus for drivers on the five lines in which night services will run.
However unions say this offer fails to address “issues of fairness, safety, work-life balance and equality at the heart of this dispute” and last week staged a 24 hour strike which forced the closure of the entire Tube network bringing widespread disruption to businesses and commuters.
Yesterday ASLEF announced its members would hold a further strike from 21:30 on August 5th and both the RMT and Unite unions now say their members will also take action on this day.
