Mayor must intervene in Tube dispute

3.55.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 7th Oct 2003

Lynne Featherstone urges Mayor to resolve Tube row

Threats of a Tube strike by the Rail and Maritime Union have today been condemned by the London Assembly Liberal Democrats.

They called on Mayor Ken Livingstone to take urgent action to resolve the pay row between RMT and the two private sector companies running the tube network.

Responding to the union's announcement that it will ballot members for industrial action and take legal action against Tubelines and Metronet for refusing to backdate a pay award, Lynne Featherstone (Lib Dem chair of the London Assembly transport committee) said:

"Mayor Ken Livingstone has a lot to answer for in this case. Last year he made rash promises to the unions that once he got control of London Underground their pay claims would be met in full. Neither then nor now was he any position to broker such a deal.

"The Mayor should now intervene in the Tube pay row before it escalates into strike action. He must tell the RMT to stop making threats and work with all Londoners to try and make the best job out of the bad deal that is the PPP."