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UPDATED: Tube strike called off

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) will halt work from 6.30pm on 6 April until 6.30pm on 9 April in a dispute over safety.

RMT station staff and train operator members voted on Thursday by a margin of five to one for strike action.

The ballot result opens the way for joint action with fellow Tube union TSSA, whose own members voted for action earlier this month.

The unions are opposing management attacks on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said, “This vote reveals the strength of feeling among our members that the safety and security of the network, for staff and passengers alike, will not be compromised under any conditions.”

London Underground temporarily halted plans to close 40 ticket offices and to cut the opening times of many more after the unions’ campaign campaign last year led to a public outcry.

It has refused to say, however, that the plans have been withdrawn completely. RMT and TSSA are demanding the complete withdrawal of the plans.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said, "Coupled with the chaos at Terminal 5 this strike announcement sends a signal out to the rest of the World that London is not a place to come and do business. Enough is enough.  Someone needs to get a grip and sort out the mess that the UK’s transport infrastructure has become."

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Related links

• RMT
• TSSA
• London Underground
• Transport for London
• British Chambers of Commerce