London Underground strike suspended at the last minute
A strike that threatened to grind the London Underground network to a virtual halt for several days was called off at the last minute on Sunday following "positive discussions" in pay talks, the main rail union said. Some 10,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) had been due to walkout in protest at a below-inflation pay offer. "Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis," said Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary. He said the scheduled strike action had been "suspended with immediate effect." "We look forward to getting into urgent negotiations with TfL (Transport for London) in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute," he added. London Underground workers had previously been offered a 5% pay rise. Transport for London, which runs the capital's "Tube" network, had previously said "little or no" services would run from Sunday evening until Friday morning, warning users to complete their journeys by 1730 GMT on Sunday. The industrial action has been mirrored across the public and private sectors in Britain, as workers demand pay rises in response to high inflation over the past two years. Health sector employees, teachers, lawyers and dock workers have all staged strikes. Junior doctors are due to end their longest consecutive strike in the seven-decade history of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) on Tuesday. (AFP)