The transport union behind last week’s London Underground strikes has warned walkouts could continue despite a 3.4 per cent pay rise offer.
Eddie Dempsey, General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union (RMT), appeared on BBC’s Politics London on Sunday, saying industrial action could resume if Transport for London (TfL) fails to make “serious progress” on the issue of shift work.
Mr Dempsey said: “We’re always prepared to negotiate, and we’re always prepared to strike.
“Londoners can rest assured we will go to the negotiating table, and we will make every effort to find a reasonable solution to this dispute. And if we can’t, our members will have to come through their democratic structures and decide what steps we take next.”
Mr Dempsey, who succeeded Mick Lynch as RMT boss in February, has taken a similarly combative stance as the union pushes for a 32-hour working week for Tube staff.
A “summit” between the RMT and TfL is scheduled for Wednesday. Speaking at the TUC Congress in Brighton, Mr Dempsey called on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to attend in person.
He told delegates: “I’ve got a message for the mayor. Instead of going on social media, instead of the old tired clichés telling trade unionists to get round the table, you’re the Mayor of London, you’re the chair of Transport for London.
“Stop going on social media, invite us to the meeting, let’s have a discussion, because I want to know what is going on in London.”
He warned that more strike action could follow if no resolution is reached: “We take no pleasure in causing disruption but we make no apology for fighting for our members. So if the mayor has any sense, he will reach out to us.”
The RMT has rejected TfL’s 3.4 per cent pay offer, continuing to demand a reduction in the 35-hour working week — a move London Underground says would be unaffordable.
Annual salaries for Tube staff range from £35,270 for trainees, rising to £44,140 for fully qualified station staff. Mechanical workers earn £52,679, track workers £57,601, and train drivers £71,160, according to LU figures.
Wednesday’s strike saw minimal Tube services operating, with more passengers travelling on buses, London Overground and the Elizabeth line. By 3pm, there had been 19,608 cycle hires — a 93 per cent increase on the same day the previous week.
