London Underground Maintenance Workers Announce 72-Hour Strike

Workers who maintain and upgrade lines on the London Underground(LU) are due to go on strike from 24-27 April.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), which represents around 1,000 staff on the Tube Lines contracts, said its members will walk out at 4pm on 24 April.

The striking staff work on the Piccadilly, Northern and Jubilee lines and provide a number of services across the network, including emergency repairs. The union said workers voted 4-1 in favour of the strike.

A Tube Lines spokesman said: "We will continue to try to find a way forward through constructive discussion."

The row is over union demands for all Tube Lines staff to be allowed to join the Transport for London pension scheme and receive the same travel concessions as those who work for London Underground.

RMT has said the strike will have "widespread" impact on Tube services across the network.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "RMT members have delivered a massive mandate for action following a straightforward demand for parity with other Tube staff.

"This dispute is about justice and about ensuring that all groups of staff under the umbrella of London Underground receive the same rights and benefits, and our members have no choice but to strike to secure those basic rights.

"We have gone through all the negotiating channels, but Tube Lines has refused to budge and has refused to engage in meaningful talks and that pig-headed approach has raised the temperature on the shop floor and has resulted in this strike action being called.

"Former Metronet employees have been allowed back into the Transport for London (TfL) pension fund and now also have the same travel facilities as other LU employees.

"Tube Lines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London and there is simply no excuse for refusing to give equal pension and pass rights.

"The union remains ready to talk, and the strong mandate for this industrial action shows Tube Lines and TfL the depth of anger there is over this blatant lack of fairness and justice."