Unions threaten to shut down Tube in station job cuts battle

Strike: The Tube could be totally shutdown in a row over jobs

The Tube faces a total shutdown if London Underground tries to "bulldoze" through 800 job cuts, union bosses warned today.

They claimed that with the cuts
stations could be left with only one staff member for parts of the day and ticket offices closed for longer periods. London Underground insisted that no station would be left without staff.

Union sources warned of "more job cuts to come" and said commuters could also travel free with members being instructed not to collect fares. Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, said the cuts — affecting nearly all station and ticket office staff — would turn the network, used by three million people a day, into a "mugger's paradise".

Mayor Boris Johnson was challenged to take a lie detector test on his previous pledge to keep "ticket offices fully open and fully operational".

RMT leaders met in crisis session last night hours after the job cuts — revealed in yesterday's Evening Standard — were announced. They ruled that the union "will not accept the disastrous plan by LU management and the Mayor to cut 700-800 jobs. The Mayor was elected on a promise to keep ticket offices open and is showing his contempt for electors, staff and passengers by cutting jobs".

A spokesman for Mr Crow said: "Be assured we will make every effort to protect our members on LU up to and including a ballot for strike action."

Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary, said: "I challenge the Mayor to take a lie detector test. Boris was elected on the firm promise of keeping Tube ticket offices fully staffed and fully open." He added that if the Mayor "failed the truth challenge he would call a free fares' strike which would allow millions of passengers to travel for nothing on the Tube network". Mr Doherty also warned that his union would order a strike ballot if members faced compulsory redundancy.

LU denied there would be compulsory redundancies. A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: "This Mayor takes his promises to Londoners extremely seriously. Every station with a ticket office will continue to have one. All stations will be staffed at all times when trains are running and stations will feel safer by moving some staff out of the office and amongst the public."

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