The Tube strikes will take place February 2014--one 48-hour strike starting Tuesday night and another a few days later--potentially affecting millions throughout London.
The talks designed to end the London Underground strike have ended without an agreement, reported The Telegraph, meaning the strikes will likely go ahead starting Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 9 p.m. local time.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) will walk out for two days straight.
They are protesting the closure of Tube ticket offices, which will cut jobs.
“It became increasingly clear over the past six days that [London Mayor Boris Johnson] has been refusing to allow his negotiating team to enter into serious talks over his wholesale ticket office closure program,” stated TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes. He added that he would meet the mayor “anytime, anywhere” to settle the disagreement.
“We now want to sit down with the organ grinder himself and reach a deal that will keep our Tube services running,” he said. ”We will suspend the action if he suspends the threat to 953 jobs. He is determined to pick a fight with us to further his long term political career regardless of the damage to our Tube network. He should put the traveling public ahead of desire to become Tory party leader,” he added.
ITV News offers a line-by-line guide of the affected services on its website.
London Underground managing director Mike Brown has said that it is consulting employees. He said despite the Tube office closures, there would be more staff in public areas.
“Our customers and staff are at the very center of our plans for London Underground. In future, there will be more staff in ticket halls and on platforms to help customers buy the right ticket, plan their journeys and to keep them safe and secure,” he said, according to the Guardian. ”We’re committed to implement these changes without compulsory redundancies and there'll be a job for everyone at LU who wants to work for us and be flexible.”
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