More buses could be drafted in to cover London Underground services, after it was revealed there are two more strikes planned towards the end of August.
The 24-hour walkouts will begin at 1830hrs on Tuesday, August 25 and at the same time on Thursday, August 27.
Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT), the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite union members will strike about work-life balance and job cuts with September’s night time tube. The 24-hour service is set to be introduced on September 12.
A spokesman for Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The union leadership appear hell bent on strike action and the mayor is dismayed at their continued failure to put what is a fair, sensible and generous offer on the table to their members.
“The workers are being offered an above-inflation pay rise, cash bonuses and the commitment no one would have to work more hours than they do today. Strike action is completely unnecessary.”
Manuel Cortes at the TSSA said: “It is time for the mayor to start getting his hands dirty and get down to serious direct negotiations.
“He will blame the rail unions for the disruption but the travelling public will be asking why he has allowed these talks to drag on for six months while he refused to meet the union leaders themselves.”
General Secretary at the RMT Mick Cash said: “Our members don’t want to be forced to wreck their home lives in order to comply with the rosters from hell.
“Running tube services with fatigued and burnt-out staff is a recipe for disaster.”
Steve Griffiths, London Underground’s chief operating officer, claimed the union had demanded the hiring of more staff and wanted to reverse ‘modernisation of customer service’ in Tube stations.
He said: “They expect our customers to pick up a bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds for this through higher fares or by forcing us to cut back investment to improve Tube services in a rapidly growing city.
“No responsible management can give in to such demands.”
Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent, pointed out that as a result of the srikes it seems likely that London Underground will have to postpone the start date for 24-hour tube services, which were meant to begin on September 12.
