Union bosses suspend three-day Tube strike over FA Cup Final weekend
Union bosses have called off a major Tube strike that was set to cause havoc during the FA Cup final this weekend.
Read more: Commuter chaos: Severe delays strike four Tube lines
The Rail, maritime and transport (RMT) union claimed victory today as it cancelled the London Underground strike, saying transport chiefs had caved in to the union’s demands over train safety checks.
Transport for London (TfL) has now withdrawn all proposed cuts to train safety inspections, the RMT said.
“It is a massive achievement for this union to overturn the planned cuts to Tube train inspections and preparation but the campaign doesn’t stop here, not by a long chalk,” RMT general secretary Mick Cash said.
“We now expect London Underground to reverse the planned cuts to jobs under their ‘transformation’ programme and give us an assurance that there will be no further attacks on our members, their working conditions and the safety culture on the tube network.
“Our action this week is suspended but RMT remains vigilant and will have no hesitation in taking whatever steps are required to block cuts and their consequences wherever and whenever they may emerge.”
The strikes would have seen 1,200 Tube staff including maintenance and engineering workers down tools for three days from Friday over what the RMT called “serious and damaging” preparation and inspection schedule cuts.
London Underground said its proposals would maintain daily train checks and that its plans “[did] not compromise” customer and staff safety.
Cash said last week: “We are angry and frustrated that instead of talking seriously about the train inspection and preparation cuts the company have resorted to threats of intimidation and harassment of our members and reps.”
Read more: Tube chaos to hit commuters next week in three-day strike
A TfL spokesperson said: “The safety of our staff and customers is always paramount. While our proposals did not compromise this, we have decided not to change the frequencies of some less safety critical train checks. Train preparation checks will always be carried out safely and efficiently.”