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Commuters, breathe a sigh of relief. Two weeks after a series of strikes were first announced for the London Underground by the RMT and ASLEF unions, today (November 1) many of those strikes have been called off.
The RMT, which was supposed to start several days of action this evening, will now not walk out. The union was protesting pay but now says its members have received ‘a significantly improved offer’. ASLEF, meanwhile, has not announced that it will call off its two strike days. ASLEF represents 2,000 tube drivers and remains scheduled to strike on November 7 and November 12.
An RMT spokesperson said: ‘Following intense negotiations with London Underground management and a significantly improved offer, we have suspended the strikes scheduled to start this evening.
‘London Underground have sensibly abandoned their proposed changes to pay structures which now means all our members will receive the same value in any pay award.
‘Further discussions will take place next week regarding the pay offer but progress has been made which would not have been possible without the fortitude and industrial strength of our 10,000 members on London Underground.’
Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: ‘We are pleased that the RMT has suspended its planned industrial action on the London Underground network to allow further talks.
‘We believe that our offer is fair, affordable, good for our colleagues and good news for London.
‘We will continue to work closely with all our trade unions, and urge ASLEF to also call off its planned action next week.’
So, some positive news about rail strikes in London – yep, really! Now there are fewer dates to worry about whether you can get to the airport, or whether the Elizabeth line is running. Here’s to hoping that ASLEF soon reaches a deal, too...
Everything you need to know about London tube service disruption this weekend, November 1-3.
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