Afternoon:
14°c
Tube talks start in bid to stop strikes
Dick Murray19.06.09
Talks to try to prevent further Tube strikes began today at Acas, the conciliation service.
Both Tube and union bosses say they are ready for "positive" negotiations.
However, Bob Crow, leader of the RMT union which staged last week's 48-hour stoppage, warned then if agreement was not reached there would be more strikes.
The union must, by law, give seven days' notice of any industrial action meaning there will be no strike action next week.
Mr Crow said today: "We are going in on a positive note." He labelled the two-day strike a "fantastic success. Not a single line was running properly".
There was widespread disruption across the capital.
Although London Underground was able to operate some trains, on most lines this was often limited to shuttle services.
The union ordered the walkout by up to 10,000 of its members, including train drivers and station staff, in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions.
Mayor Boris Johnson has ordered 1,000 jobs be cut at LU and hundreds more at Transport for London - though senior sources say the "real" figure of jobs lost will be nearer 3,000.
The cuts, say management, are a result of having been forced to take over the 7,000 staff from Metronet, the failed maintenance giant which went bust last year.
The RMT is demanding LU provides a commitment of no compulsory redundancies - which so far it has refused to give.
