However, Khan’s 11th-hour intervention appears to have been a surprise to TfL negotiators. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the strikes would have cost the hospitality industry £50m, and the suspension “shows what can be achieved by engaging and working with trade unions and transport staff, rather than working against them”. Unions have also objected to plans to freeze salary bands for low-paid roles, and are arguing for the restoration of some travel benefits. The union argued that TfL could afford more, pointing to a £40,000 salary rise to £395,000 for the transport commissioner, Andy Lord, when his role was confirmed as permanent in June. TfL has offered a 5% increase, but rises have traditionally been linked to RPI inflation which was running substantially higher last year. RMT members had voted to strike over a pay rise due in April 2023. “This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting in to urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.” The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available. Members of the RMT started rolling industrial action over pay on Friday, with stoppages by engineers and network control staff, but the major impact was due from Monday when frontline staff in stations, train operations and signalling joined the strikes. However, TfL warned that there may still be some disruption on Monday morning because of the last-minute suspension of the strikes. The strikes were expected to stop almost all tube services and cause travel chaos in the capital.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |