US music star Post Malone postpones London concerts due to Tube strikes next week as union holds firm on pay increase demands
Post Malone has postponed his London concerns due to next week's Tube strikes - as unions hold firm on their demands to be paid more for less work.
Ticket platform Live Nation said it had been 'forced' into rescheduling two gigs by the American rapper at the the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because it would be 'impossible' to get fans to and from the event without a Tube service.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), including drivers, signallers and maintenance workers, are to launch a series of strikes over pay and conditions which will cause huge disruption to services.
The union is seeking a 32-hour working week - three hours fewer than present - combined with a pay rise, a demand Transport for London has branded 'neither practical nor affordable' given it is nearly £13billion in debt.
TfL, which has offered workers a 3.4 per cent pay rise, has warned there will be few or no services between Monday and Thursday, with some disruption on Sunday.
Nick Dent, London Underground's director of customer operations, today insisted it was 'not too late' to call off the strikes.
Ticket platform Live Nation said it had been 'forced' into rescheduling two gigs by the American rapper at the the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The strikes are likely to cause chaos for commuters across the Underground (pictured are packed buses during a previous strike)
He said TfL had made a 'fair' pay offer, without any conditions attached, which he urged the RMT to put to a ballot of its members.
'We have met four times in the past two weeks and we would welcome further talks,' he said. 'It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members.'
The last Tube-wide strike was three years ago, over pay and pensions, but Mr Dent said next week's action will be different because separate groups of workers will walk out on different days.
'It will be very damaging for us,' he added.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) is predicting a £230million economic hit from the strike as thousands of Londoners struggle to get into work.
Passengers have been urged to check before they travel, with Tubes that do run, as well as buses, which are expected to be busier than usual.
Docklands Light Railway services will also be hit next Tuesday and Thursday because of a strike by RMT members in a separate pay dispute.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said workers were not after the 'King's ransom'
The strike was announced by the RMT following a ballot last month. This saw just 57.6 per cent of members vote in favour
Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at the London Assembly, yesterday blamed London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for the chaos.
'Labour politicians think that throwing Money at unions is a good idea and that it will keep them onside - it isn't, it shows how weak they are,' she told the Mail.
'The result is that the unions hold London to ransom whenever they think they will and Londoners and London's businesses suffer.
'The demands this time are in my view a total disgrace.
'A strong leader would have drawn a line in the sand long ago but of course Sadiq Khan is anything but a strong or effective leader.'
The RMT piled fresh pressure on TfL yesterday by warning Tube cleaners could also be balloted over pay as part of a separate dispute.
The union has complained to private contractors ABM that cleaners do not receive sick pay and are only paid the London Living Wage.
Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at the London Assembly, blamed London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for the chaos
Unless a 'serious' pay offer is made, the RMT said it will move to ballot its members for strike action.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'Our members are the people who keep London Underground clean and safe for millions of passengers every single day, but they are treated as second-class workers.
'They are denied sick pay, scraping by on poverty pensions, and left to struggle month after month.
'Unless this company comes back with an offer that properly rewards cleaners for their work, and provides basic dignity like sick pay, we will ballot for strike action across the contract.'
