Morning:
14°c
Talks resume to stop more Tube strikes
Dick Murray24.06.09
TALKS resumed today to prevent further Tube strikes.
The RMT union has staged one 48-hour strike over jobs, pay and working conditions and leader Bob Crow has warned there will be more if no deal is reached. The sticking point is job protection. Mayor Boris Johnson has ordered 1,000 job cuts at London Underground and hundreds more at Transport for London. Senior sources say the real figure will be nearer 3,000.
The Mayor says the cuts, which will save £2.5 billion, are the result of taking on 7,000 staff from Metronet, the failed maintenance giant. TfL said this had led to a vast duplication of roles.
The RMT is demanding there be no compulsory redundancies. TfL says it will do "everything possible" but it cannot give a guarantee. Mr Crow said the union was going into talks at conciliation service Acas on a "positive" note.
