A three-day Tube strike has been called off by the union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) following talks to ensure guarantees on safety practises.
Strike action, planned by more than 7,000 RMT station staff, signallers and drivers was suspended this afternoon after "lengthy talks" which have "yielded guarantees on a raft of safety and staffing issues", the union in says in a statement.
The union called the strike in protest of ticket-office closures, de-staffing, lone working, use of agency and security staff and other disputed policies including the introduction of 'mobile supervisors' responsible for several stations at a time.
Tube operator London Underground has backed down on introducing the supervisors, frozen plans to close or reduce opening times of ticket offices and agreed to fully train all station staff to agreed standards, says the RMT.
"We were told that agency and security staff and the crazy concept of mobile station supervisors were models for the future, but we now have a guarantee that there will be proper supervision and that the current use of agency and security staff during traffic hours will be brought to an end," says RMT General Secretary Bob Crow.
By Ozge Ibrahim
