‘Night tube’ strikes suspended

Unite has suspended three days of strike action in the ‘work/life’ balance dispute over the introduction of the ‘night tube’ on London Underground, so that further talks could take place.

The union confirmed today (January 18) that the 24 hour strikes on Tuesday January 26; Monday February 15 and Wednesday February 17 will be suspended so that talks with the conciliation service, Acas can continue.

The threat to  work/life balance and an inadequate pay offer are the key issues in the long-running London Underground dispute. Unite represents a key 600-strong workforce of engineers and maintenance staff without which the 270 station network can’t operate.

“Unite is suspending its three days of strike action this month and in February over pay and night working on the London Underground,” said Unite national officer for rail Hugh Roberts.

“This is to allow for further talks with the conciliation service, Acas on these issues. We will approach these talks in a constructive fashion and urge LUL management to do the same.

“The strikes have been suspended but the strikes will be back on, if insufficient progress is made,” Roberts warned. “We urge LUL management to make every effort to settle this long-running dispute and not engage in foot-dragging, just because we have suspended this action.

“The sticking points are an inadequate four-year pay offer and a failure to agree over the implementation of the ‘night tube’,” he added.

“Unite sees the benefits of London’s vibrant nocturnal economy, but it should not be at the expense of our members.”
Last month, Unite London Underground reps unanimously rejected an offer of a four-year pay deal from April 1 2015 to March 31 2019.