Tube workers reject Olympics pay offer

Leaders of London Underground workers have rejected a pay offer for working during the Olympic Games worth up to £500, it was announced today.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents thousands of Tube staff, said the money was not an adequate reward for being on duty during the event, which will see a huge increase in passengers across the capital for weeks.

The RMT said the offer had been slightly improved to £100 dependent on meeting “customer satisfaction” targets, and extra per shift which could add another £400.

The union pointed to other deals, including one of £1,100 at Docklands Light Railway which the RMT said could be worth double that amount, and £600 at London Overground.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “RMT is rejecting this latest Olympics and Paralympics pay offer from LU and we will be meeting with the company again to press our case for a flat-rate, across-the-board payment which recognises the contribution of all staff throughout the high-pressure extended Olympics and Paralympics period and which is free from a whole barrage of strings and caveats.

“Other employers, notably London Overground, Network Rail and most recently DLR, have come up with serious offers and agreements and we expect London Underground to do the same.

“It is well-documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period, with massive pressure on staff and services from moving millions of extra passenger journeys around Greater London and the South East.

“All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing.”

London Underground director George McInulty said: "This summer LU staff will be asked to work flexibly, and we are determined to properly acknowledge the contribution they will be making to a fantastic Olympics and Paralympics Games while keeping London moving.

"We have put forward our proposals about how our staff could be fairly rewarded based, as usual, on feedback from our customers and on the flexibility that staff show in working different shift patterns.

"Discussions continue on the issue."

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said: "The RMT seem to be stretching to breaking point the tolerance of most Londoners in their rejection of this improved pay offer."

PA