Tube strike called off

Millions of commuters are relieved as the 48-hour strike planned by London Underground (LU) workers has been called off.

Mick Cash, the new general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has announced valuable progress in talks at conciliation service Acas had been made.

Members of the RMT Union, who had been due to walk out at 9am on Tuesday, have been taking their stand against LU’s plan to close ticket offices and redeploy staff on concourses and platforms, since the beginning of 2014.

Many Londoners remember the two tube strikes that took place early this year, causing serious disruption for London businesses and passengers, while another strike announced by RMT Union was called off  in May.   

At issue was the same set of proposals over the modernisation of the Tube.

Phil Hufton, London Underground chief operating officer, has defined the strike action ‘pointless’ in such circumstances.

Not only the demand for ticket offices will fall even further with the recent introduction of contactless payments, but LU  has promised a job for anyone who wants to stay with them, with no loss of pay.

Moreover, around 200 new jobs would be created by next year through the capital’s 24-hour weekend service, starting in September 2015.

The RTM Union boss broke the news just one day after Mayor of London Boris Johnson had unveiled the next generation of driverless trains, which will be phased in from the early 2020s.