London tube strike tomorrow

A strike by London Underground maintenance workers will go ahead from tomorrow after the failure of last-ditch efforts to avert the action, it was announced today.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said its members employed by Tube Lines will walk out for 48 hours from 7pm, with a further 48-hour stoppage planned for next month if a row over jobs, pay and conditions is not resolved.

But the union said a planned 72-hour strike by workers on Docklands Light Railway from 4am tomorrow had been suspended following a new pay offer.

General secretary Bob Crow said: "Tube Lines have failed to give us the assurances we were seeking on jobs. The action goes ahead and it is clear that it will have a major impact and that there's a real danger that Tube officials will take serious risks with safety to try and run trains.

"We would call again on the Mayor, who takes over Tube Lines next week, to intervene even at this late stage to resolve this dispute. If he can afford to fill the Tube Lines shareholders' pockets with a £310 million pay off then he can afford to give our members the assurances on jobs and conditions that they are seeking."

A Transport for London spokesman said: "This is an existing dispute about pay and conditions and not about the proposed transfer of Tube Lines to TfL.

"Safety is London Underground's top priority and we would never run trains when it is not safe to do so. Should the action go ahead, we do not anticipate any significant impact to Tube services and London Underground intends to operate a full service on all lines."

A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: "The RMT are well aware that the Mayor has made it clear he will not meet with unions threatening strike action on the capital.

"Rather than threatening disruption the RMT should call off their strike action and hold talks with TfL once their purchase of Tube Lines has been completed."