Union sources have insisted that this evening”s (3 September) strike on London Underground will go ahead as planned from 18:00.
The 72h walkout could potentially affect millions of tube users, although a spokeswoman for maintenance provider, Metronet said that discussions were taking place with the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT).
Union concerns hinge on what will happen following former maintenance provider, Metronet”s eventual emergence from administration, but London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, says all necessary job assurances have been given.
”With clear assurances from the Administrator and Metronet that there will be no job cuts, transfers or losses in pensions, it would be unreasonable to proceed with strikes that will disrupt the lives of millions of Londoners,” said Livingstone.
”We should work together to ensure the Metronet contracts can be taken over by London Underground with the minimum possible delay.”
But the RMT is unconvinced, maintaining that the Administrator and Metronet have not provided it with guarantees it seeks, despite comments from Transport for London (TfL). ”TfL have been putting out a lot of statements, but they are not the people who employ our 2,300 members, an RMT spokesman told ABTN.”
”It is Metronet and the Administrator who have not given us the guarantees we are looking for. We know what administrators do ” they have got an eye on the bottom line.”
The spokesman also insisted that the ”vast majority” of tube users wanted maintenance taken back in-house by London Underground ” ”At the end of the day that would be the solution to this whole mess.”
RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, weighed in with some typically robust views on the proposed strike, insisting that it is Metronet and the Administrator, who have not given unequivocal guarantees.
”Frankly, our members are being asked to stake their jobs and pensions on a pig in a poke [and] the only assurances we have received about jobs and transfers, cover only the period of administration,” he said.
”It is strange that the Administrator can determine all sorts of things about the future of the PPP [public, private partnership] contracts, apparently including who the next fat-cat privateer might be, but is not in a position to give on-going guarantees on the jobs of the people who actually do the work.”
If the strike does go ahead, services may start to wind down from around 16:30 this afternoon and although a TfL spokesman confirmed that the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines would run, they are likely to be severely crowded. TfL is advising passengers to complete journeys by 17:00 this evening and adds that services are not likely to return to normal until Friday morning.