ARBITRATION IN LONDON UNDERGROUND DISPUTE

That this House notes that further industrial action is to take place on London Underground arising from the dispute between the RMT/TSSA union and management; is concerned that to date it has not been possible to reach a negotiated settlement on the key issue in the dispute - the appropriate level of staffing at ticket offices; further notes proposal by the unions for both sides to agree to binding arbitration on London Underground's justification for reducing ticket office hours, namely the amount of ticket sales per hour; believes that asking an independent referee to assist in resolving the dispute will be welcomed by passengers; and urges the Mayor of London to respond positively to this new initiative and agree to binding arbitration to resolve this dispute.