Tube Strikes: The Row Explained

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Union members were balloted in August on whether or not to strike as part of the row over potential job losses on the underground.

The first strike took place at the beginning of September causing travel chaos for commuters - although it is claimed that up to a third of services were still running.

Further strikes are planned for October 3, November 2 and November 28.

The plans that have led to the walk outs include axing around 800 roles on London Underground mainly in ticket offices.

Bosses claim that there will be no compulsory redundancies and it is just the roles that will be cut. They say 250 positions are or are about to become vacant and will not be filled, other roles will be removed by redeploying employees.

Five percent of the workforce are thought to be affected by the proposals.

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy says modern technology is behind the decision, "The changes we are making are essential - due to the success of Oyster just one journey in twenty now involves a ticket office, and some ticket offices sell fewer than ten tickets an hour. We have explained that the changes come with no compulsory redundancies and no loss of earnings, and mean that stations will remain staffed at all times and every station with a ticket office will continue to have one."

But transport unions the RMT and TSSA have reacted angrily to the plans - which has led to the strike action.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said recently, "We have warned repeatedly that LU/TfL’s cuts plans are playing fast and loose with safety and will turn the tube into a death trap. It is a scandal that the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, and his transport officials have chosen to ignore those warnings and have failed to engage in serious talks with the unions on the issues at the heart of this current dispute.

"We remain available for talks but the current cuts to jobs and safety must be halted before we have a tragedy on our hands. RMT and TSSA members have been faced with a stark choice – we either strike now and disrupt the service in order to force LU/TfL to take this issue seriously or we sit back and wait for a disaster. We have no choice but to take action on behalf of Londoners who depend daily on a safe transport system."

LBC will have the latest on how the tube strikes are affecting London both on air and online.