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Tube drivers vote for industrial action
TUBE drivers voted unanimously in favour of industrial action on Wednesday.
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) members will not work overtime for a week from April 9.
The action, voted for by 750 to 60, will “paralyse the system,” union leaders warned.
The RMT is angry at plans by maintenance firm Metronet to transfer staff into parent firms, and said the action will start on Easter Monday.
Metronet, the consortium responsible for maintaining and upgrading two-thirds of the Tube, has said any industrial action would be unjustified and unwarranted.
More than two-thirds of the Tube system would be crippled following the action of more than 2,000 engineers from April 9, union leaders warned.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “Our members have demonstrated their anger at Metronet reneging on an agreement they made only a year or so ago.
“This dispute is about honouring agreements and defending our members’ pay, conditions and organisation.”
He added: “It will have an immediate effect on traffic on two-thirds of the network, and will eventually completely paralyse the system.”
Metronet said action was “not necessary” and said it had not gone back on a deal with unions.
Metronet senior vice president Mark Cooper said: “Metronet and Bombardier have made ground-breaking compromises in order to put forward a viable alternative plan.
“We have been working for more than a year to resolve this issue and will continue to work with the RMT to find an acceptable solution.” |
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