Sadiq Khan 'happy' to meet with Mick Lynch ahead of October Tube strikes but negotiations will be 'between the RMT and TfL'

22 September 2023, 12:00

Sadiq Khan has said he is 'happy' to meet with union officials ahead of two days of strike action next month
Sadiq Khan has said he is 'happy' to meet with union officials ahead of two days of strike action next month. Picture: LBC/Alamy
EJ Ward

By EJ Ward

The Mayor of London has said he is happy to meet with Mick Lynch ahead of Tube strikes but negotiations need to "take place between the RMT and TfL."

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Thousands of London Underground station staff are to strike next month in a long-running dispute over jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on October 4 and 6, which the union warned would shut down Tube services in the capital.

The union has been locked in a row over cuts it claims will lead to hundreds of job losses.

Union boss Mick Lynch has called on Sadiq Khan to meet with him to "urgently to discuss this matter," but the Mayor has said he would not be directly involved in the matter.

Speaking to LBC the Mayor said, "I fully understand why the RMT are concerned about the government conditions on TfL."

"I'm always happy to meet members of trade unions, whether it's Mick Lynch or other trade unions," but he said he would not be directly involved in negotiations "they'll take place between the RMT and TfL."

Read more: More misery for commuters as Tube staff to strike again on two dates in October

Read more: Organised gangs shoplifting stores on Tube stops as part of getaway network as they 'steal items to order'

Sadiq Khan has said he is 'happy' to meet with union officials ahead of two days of strike action next month
Sadiq Khan has said he is 'happy' to meet with union officials ahead of two days of strike action next month. Picture: Alamy

Safety concerns have also been raised over higher workloads, more lone working and increased fatigue.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Station staff have had enough of having their livelihoods threatened by job losses and attacks on their terms and conditions.

"Station staff have a vital role to play assisting vulnerable passengers to access the network safely and ensuring that the Tube is a safe environment for passengers.

Read more: Leonardo DiCaprio is beating London traffic in unusual way - and he's not using the Tube

"These job cuts and attacks on conditions are going to lead to more unstaffed stations, temporary closures and rising passenger anger.

"Transport for London has had its budgets slashed but the savings made by these station staff cuts will be negatable and will lead to shortages that are unacceptable.

"This strike action will lead to the Tube being shut down and we call on Mayor Sadiq Khan to meet us urgently to discuss this matter."

The RMT boss has called on the Mayor to meet with him and union officials ahead of two days of Tube strikes in the capital
The RMT boss has called on the Mayor to meet with him and union officials ahead of two days of Tube strikes in the capital. Picture: Alamy
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on October 4 and 6, which the union warned would shut down Tube services in the capital.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on October 4 and 6, which the union warned would shut down Tube services in the capital. Picture: Alamy

The union said more than 3,500 of its members are involved in the dispute.

Glynn Barton, TfL's chief operating officer, said: "We are disappointed that the RMT has announced strike action despite our open discussion on these issues.

"Nobody wants to see strikes that will cause significant disruption to our customers and we urge them to reconsider and continue engaging with us."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Relatives and loved ones of the Palestinian civil defense man who lost his life along with his wife mourn their bodies at Al-Awda Hospital as a result of the Israeli bombing of their home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on May 25, 2025.

Last working hospital in North Gaza out of service after Israeli military orders evacuation

The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab has been effective in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancers

Immunotherapy drug 'first breakthrough in 20 years' for head and neck cancer treatment

Used E-Cigarette

Disposable vapes banned from Sunday in bid to improve health and cut 'avalanche' of litter

EuroMillions - Photo Illustration

Lucky EuroMillions winner could snatch up £199m jackpot in UK record

Loretta Swit presents a tribute to 'Mr. Rogers' at the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on April 29, 2018

M*A*S*H star Loretta Swit dies aged 87

The study is funded by the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, a charity set up in the name of the Girls Aloud singer who died of breast cancer aged 39

Study led by Sarah Harding's doctor could see NHS offer breast cancer checks to women in their thirties

Exclusive
A prison officer was stabbed with a weapon that may have been delivered to Long Lartin prison by a drone.

Prison officer stabbed with weapon 'likely sent in by drone', union chief tells LBC News as he warns 'it's a risk every shift'

White House AI Hack Triggers Global Security Fears as Voice-Cloning Threat Grows

White House AI voice-cloning hack spark security fears as deepfake of Trump's Chief of Staff triggers global alarm

Sanitation workers load rubbish into an automatic garbage truck in Long Island, New York

Man found dead 'buried under rubbish' after bin he was sleeping in was emptied into bin lorry

Chinese President Xi Jinpingmeets with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump.

China hits back at Trump after he accuses it of 'totally violating' tariff agreement

Trump has responded to a question from a reporter about the Macrons

‘Not good’: Trump responds to question about video of Macron being 'slapped across face' by wife Brigitte

Levi Bancroft, 22,  was sentenced on Friday, 30 May at Southwark Crown Court for four counts of rape involving three victims

Serial rapist, 22, who raped two 'vulnerable' teenage girls and a transgender woman sentenced to life in prison

Screengrab from CCTV footage showing Jay McGinty, 37, at the entrance to Claridge's Hotel in Mayfair.

Man caught trying to steal jewels worth £190k from Claridge’s Hotel using smoke grenades and sledgehammer jailed

Daily Life In Richmond Hill

Toxic pesticide linked to cancer discovered in tampons at levels 40 times above legal limit for drinking water

Exclusive
Lord Hermer and Sir Keir Starmer

'Out of touch': Attorney General slammed for comparing ECHR doubters to Nazis

Exclusive
The UK’s Oldest Man, Donald Rose aged 110, has been given the ‘Freedom of The Borough’ in Derbyshire.

UK’s oldest man given ‘Freedom of The Borough’ for service in World War 2