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Tube Strike Today Threatens Travel Chaos

Tube Strike Today Threatens Travel Chaos

The boss of London Underground has urged union leaders to call off a 24-hour strike due to begin later today, saying it will cause "big disruption".

Managing director Mike Brown said the company had made a "remarkably fair" pay offer for the introduction of new all-night Tube services from September.

The walkout by thousands of workers from 6.30pm coincides with a 48-hour stoppage by workers on First Great Western, which will disrupt trains to and from London Paddington.

Tube trains will start running down from 5pm, there will be no services on Thursday and there could be disruption on Friday morning.

Passengers are being advised to complete their Tube journeys by 6pm on Wednesday, and travel earlier if possible.

Extra bus and river services will be put on during the strike, while roadworks will also be suspended where possible.

But Transport for London (TfL) has warned all public transport and roads will be much busier than usual, with travellers advised to allow more time for their journeys.

The two-day stoppage by RMT members on First Great Western is due to begin on Thursday and will affect services until Saturday morning.

Tube managers have tabled a "final" offer, including an average 2% rise this year, at least RPI inflation for each of the next two years and £2,000 for drivers on the new service.

Mr Brown urged unions to suspend their action and put the offer to their members because it was different from a previous one.

"The planned strike will cause big disruption to the people and economy of London. It is also totally unnecessary," he said.

"The night Tube is an exciting and essential new chapter in the history of London Underground and our city.

"It will cut night-time journeys by an average of 20 minutes, with some cut by more than an hour."

But RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Despite strenuous efforts by union negotiators to press London Underground to address the issues of fairness, safety, work/life balance and equality at the heart of this dispute, they have come up with nothing in the talks (at ACAS).

"The action is on and RMT will be mobilising picket lines and effective action with our sister unions and there are no further talks planned at this stage."

Finn Brennan, ASLEF's organiser on the Tube, said responsibility for the strike and resulting disruption lay with London Underground management.

"They have played foolish games of brinkmanship, taking their offer off the table then denying they had done so," he said.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: "They were only interested in one thing: blaming the unions for the stoppage which they could have avoided by taking a serious negotiating position on Monday."