Bank holiday Tube strike: Planned walkout cancelled after unions and management reach agreement

Members of the Unite and TSSA unions had planned to take industrial action in a row over pay and conditions for power supply controllers

Commuters at Stratford Underground, Overground and DLR Station in east London, on the first day of a 48 hour strike by tube workers on the London Underground over ticket office closures. (PA)

A planned strike by London Underground staff which had threatened to completely 'shut down' the Tube over the bank holiday weekend has been cancelled.

Members of the Unite and TSSA unions had planned to take industrial action in a row over pay and conditions for power supply controllers.

The workers, who are key to providing power to 270 stations in the network, were due to walk out from tomorrow until 8am on Tuesday, potentially causing travel chaos over the busy bank holiday weekend.

Talks at the conciliation service Acas led to the walkout being averted.

John Woods, deputy chief conciliator at Acas said: "Following three days of talks led by the conciliation service Acas, London Underground, Unite and TSSA have arrived at a position where the trade unions will withdraw the strike action due to take place over the Bank Holiday weekend."

Union leaders had acknowledged that the dispute was “complex”.

Unite regional officer Hugh Roberts said earlier this week: “The issue here is broken promises, unfair treatment over differentials and worsening conditions.

“London Underground management’s penny-pinching attitude is not being driven by common sense, but by the background agenda of budget cuts in the Treasury’s funding", he said.