RMT To Ballot 10,000 Tube Workers on Major Strike Action
Union says that negotiations failed to meet their 'reasonable demands' on pay
The RMT have announced that they are to ballot all their members working on London Underground after management failed to meet what they described as their ‘very reasonable demands’ on pay.
Over 10,000 staff will be asked to vote on both strike action and action short of a strike. The union claim that a year of negotiations hasn’t yielded an acceptable offer and has ended in stalemate.
They have called on the Mayor and TFL to lift the cap on pay and allow a deal to be done that they say would fully recognise the ‘enormous efforts of staff to keep London moving against a backdrop of overcrowding, creaking infrastructure and surging levels of violence and assaults’.
The ballot timetable will be announced shortly and the union say it is to take place at the earliest opportunity and that, based on soundings from workplace union representatives, they are expecting a resounding vote in favour .
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said, “After over a year of intensive talks aimed at reaching a negotiated settlement on tube pay RMT reps are angry and frustrated that London Underground have now stalled that process and failed to come up with an offer that would fully recognise the efforts of their workforce day in and day out.
“London is a wealthy business centre and those staff who work round the clock to keep the city moving deserve their fair share.
“The preparations for the ballot are well underway and we will be campaigning hard for a massive YES vote. It is not too late for the Mayor, in this election year, to intervene and send his officials back to the table with a decent and responsible offer to settle this dispute. In the meantime RMT remains available for talks.”
We have asked the Mayor’s office and TfL for comment.
February 28, 2020
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