FAO: Those Going To Spurs
By Matt Jones
December 24 2005
If you are going to London for our game against Tottenham Hotspur, then we thought we would make sure in advance that you were aware of the fact that the city will be hit by a 24-hour strike on the Tube starting at midday on December 31.
UPDATE (Dec 24th): LU statement
Following talks between London Underground (LU) and the RMT, LU issued the following statement.
An LU spokesperson said: "We are dismayed that the RMT is once again proposing to hold London to ransom over the festive period.
"The whole basis of the shorter working week deal is to improve customer service and staff visibility on the network.
"London Underground has been quite correctly implementing the deal hailed a year ago as 'groundbreaking' by the RMT leadership and supported by the membership by a margin of 30-1.
"The RMT is effectively asking LU to dismantle the process and timetable that implements the deal. This is unacceptable to LU and our customers.
"We remain ready to talk to the RMT at any time to resolve this issue.
"This agreed deal is good for London Underground, the RMT's members, and is good for London.
"If the strike does go ahead, London Underground will seek to run services where it is safe to do so."
(Dec 23rd)
New Year revellers in London will be hit by a 24-hour strike on the Tube starting at midday on December 31.
The RMT union has also announced a 24-hour stoppage on London Underground from 6.30pm on Sunday January 8.
London Underground management and union bosses are to meet at conciliation service Acas tomorrow to try and avert the strike.
RMT members voted by more than five to one to take industrial action over the working week and staff levels.
The New Year's Eve stoppage will wreck plans of people who intended to take advantage of the tradition of LU running trains all night on December 31.
Transport for London had already announced the Tube would be free from 11.45pm on New Year's Eve until 4.30am on New Year's Day.
The RMT says it is worried about staffing levels in ticket sales, as far fewer Tube travellers are buying paper tickets.
Earlier this week general secretary Bob Crow said staff who had been heroes on the day of the London bombings now faced the axe.
But London Underground has said there will be no staff cuts.