Last Minute Talks Due Over Four Day Strike on Piccadilly Line |
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Separate action also planned at Central Line Depot from Thursday morning
Last minute talks are due to be held at conciliation service Acas between Transport for London (TfL) and the RMT union, aiming to resolve the dispute which has led to drivers on the Piccadilly line planning to hold a strike that will stretch across four days this week over working conditions. The union are planning to hold the industrial action between 9pm on Wednesday 11 July and 1am on Saturday 14 July. The union say they are taking action after what they describe as a series of attacks on working conditions and staffing levels that have turned the line into a pressure cooker.
They claim there is a continued failure by London Underground (LU) to employ enough drivers, continued problems with the ageing Piccadilly Line fleet and the repeated breaking of agreements which has tipped industrial relations over the edge. It was recently announced that LU have awarded a contract to build a new fleet of trains for the Piccadilly line but these won't be in service until 2023. Nigel Holness, director of network operations at LU, said: "We urge the RMT leadership to work with us constructively on the local issues they have raised rather than threaten to disrupt our customers. "We remain available for talks to prevent any unnecessary industrial action on the Piccadilly line." If it goes ahead, it will take place from 7am on Thursday 12 July to 7am on Friday 13 July,then from 7pm on Friday 13 July to 7am Saturday 14 July, and from 7am on Sunday 15 July to 7pm the same day.
July 9, 2018
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