Talks to try and avert planned Tube strikes broke down today, meaning the the first strike will begin on Sunday evening – the eve of
Wimbledon – with another on June 27th.
The action will disrupt the
journeys of thousands of tennis fans heading to the grass
court tournament.
Tube bosses have been accused by the Rail,
Maritime and Transport union (RMT) of not addressing the reinstatement
of Arwyn Thomas, a Northern Line driver.
Mr Thomas is expecting
the results of an employment tribunal by the end of the month after a
claim of unfair dismissal was lodged.
Talks at conciliation
service Acas between London Underground and the RMT were not
successful, meaning the strikes look set to go ahead.
The strikes take place between 9.01pm on June 19 and
3am on June 20; between 9.01pm on June 27 and 11.59am on June 28;
between noon on June 29 and 11.59am on June 30; and between noon and
9pm on July 1.
He
said: “I am hoping it all gets sorted out before Wimbledon starts. I
know lots of fans have bought their tickets and can’t wait for the
action to start.” A wave of public sector strikes over job cuts is also
threatened for this summer.
