STAFFING ON LONDON UNDERGROUND

That this House pays tribute to the members of the Rail Maritime and Transport and the Transport Salaries Staff Association unions who as a last resort are sacrificing pay and taking industrial action to put safety first on the London Underground; notes the action is against proposals by the Mayor of London to shed, in contradiction of his manifesto promise, 800 ticket office and gateline jobs on London Underground; is deeply concerned that the cuts will adversely affect the opening times of 245 ticket offices right across the tube network and drastically cut the number of staff at stations and on platforms which will damage passenger services, discriminate against those who have a disability and make passengers feel less safe; welcomes the fact that a broad range of organisations including disabled and passenger groups and a majority of Members of the London Assembly are opposed to the cuts; and urges the Mayor of London to review his decision and open negotiations with the unions as a matter of urgency to ensure a fair negotiated settlement to the dispute which delivers safe staffing levels across the London Underground network.