Last chance to talk, says RMT as 3-day strike set for Metronet
RMT: April 4 2007
MORE THAN 2,000 Metronet Tube maintenance staff will follow up a week-long overtime ban with a three-day strike unless plans to force staff to transfer to other companies are dropped, London Underground’s biggest union announced today.
RMT members at Metronet will strike between 18:00 on Sunday April 15 to 18:00 on Wednesday April 18 if talks scheduled for tomorrow fail settle the dispute. A week-long ban on all overtime is already set to start at 18:00 on Easter Monday, April 9.
"We warned the company that we would set strike dates, but they still appear to be hell-bent of reneging on the agreement we reached in December 2005 and forcing our members to transfer to outside companies," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.
"There are talks scheduled for tomorrow morning, and that means Metronet have one last opportunity to settle the dispute.
"However, time is now running out, and the RMT executive has agreed that unless sufficient progress is made by midday tomorrow, action will begin at 18:00 on Monday.
"Our members have made it clear that they are not prepared to see agreements torn up and their pay, conditions and organisation trampled over, and they will resist more dangerous fragmentation," Bob Crow said.
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Note to editors: RMT members at Metronet voted by 750 (92.6 per cent) to 60 (7.4 per cent) for strike action, and by 775 (96.4 per cent) to 29 (3.6 per cent) for action short of strike.