LONDON — The planned 72-hour tube strike has been canceled.
“I am pleased that Londoners will not have to endure further strike action this week,” Phil Hufton, chief operating officer of London Underground, said in a statement.
“The only way to resolve this dispute is for the RMT leadership to work with us to shape the future of the Tube in a changing world. It is good that they have committed to doing so alongside the three other unions involved. As we have always said, we are, of course, open to discuss any proposals our staff or the unions may offer.”
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union planned the strike over Tube officials’ plans they say would have eliminated the jobs of more than 900 ticket booth workers. Tube officials said eliminating little-used ticket booths would save more than $84 million per year.
“Modernisation of the Tube means that it is our intention to close all ticket offices, used in less than 3 per cent of journeys, and instead deliver a vastly better customer service by bringing more staff than ever before out on to the concourses of stations at ticket machines, ticket gates and platforms – just as we delivered during the London 2012 Games,” Hufton added. This will also allow us to save £50 million per annum to reinvest in better and more reliable train services and to keep fares down.”
