TUBE passengers face four days of misery after a rail union announced it would join two 48-hour walkouts.
The TSSA balloted its members for industrial action over the Mayor of London Boris Johnson's plans to close all 260 Tube ticket offices and make almost 1,000 redundancies across the network.
The pair of two-day strikes, held in conjunction with the RMT transport union, will take place between 9pm on Tuesday February 4 and 9pm on Thursday February 6, and again from 9pm on Tuesday February 11 until 9pm on Thursday February 13.
TSSA union general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “It is now time for Boris to sit down with his staff representatives and negotiate a sensible deal which will protect the safety and security of the travelling public as well as the long term interests of our members.
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“We think he is too ready to gamble with safety by abolishing permanent station supervisors in this closure plan, a plan which stands on its head his promise in 2008 to keep open every ticket office.”
TSSA members voted by a majority of 58.8 per cent for strike action on a turnout of 52 per cent.
Talks between London Underground management and the rail unions resume at conciliation service ACAS tomorrow.
Bob Crow, general secretary of another transport union, the RMT, said: “The TSSA ballot result steps up the pressure for a serious and renewed effort to resolve the issues that have forced our two unions into this dispute which is simply about protecting safety, staffing levels, security and access to services for the growing number of tube users.
“Boris Johnson, and his officials need to take note of the level of anger that the cuts plans have generated and pull back their damaging and unwanted proposals and allow serious and meaningful talks to resolve this dispute to take place.”
