COLD COMFORT THAT TUBE STRIKE SUSPENDED NOT RESOLVED

5.54.13pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 4th Jun 2004

Simon belives strike called off is cold comfort for Londoners

Commenting on the strike threat being suspended by the RMT for 10th June, Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate, Simon Hughes, said:-

"It will be a welcome relief for Londoners that next week will not be disrupted by a Tube strike but cold comfort that the threat has been suspended and not resolved. The public are entitled to expect industrial disputes in the public service to be settled by negotiation not confrontation.

"There are serious question to be asked about what carrots were offered by Transport for London to persuade Bob Crow and the RMT to postpone their strike threat until after the election. Londoners will want to know what costs will the capital have to face if a private deal has been done in an attempt to save Ken Livingstone's election campaign.

"A problem deferred is not a problem solved. If elected to City Hall next week I will make sure that the board of Transport for London is led by people who are willing to be constructive about solving London's transport problems and not by people who threaten industrial action when they cannot get their own way.

"Mr Crow will be removed from the Board of Transport for London. The two priorities for securing a fair deal for workers in transport in London are to improve the lot of the low paid and to give everybody decent working hours, not special concessions to a better paid few."

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