A strike that threatened to halt all London Underground services for the next four days has been called off.
The RMT union announced that it had suspended its planned action after talks with Transport for London (TfL), after the mayor of London apparently made new funds available.
The strikes were expected to stop almost all tube services and cause travel chaos in the capital.
However, TfL warned that there may still be some disruption on Monday morning because of the last-minute suspension of the strikes.
Members of the RMT started rolling industrial action over pay on Friday, with stoppages by engineers and network control staff, but the major impact was due from Monday when frontline staff in stations, train operations and signalling joined the strikes.
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available.
“This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting in to urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.”
RMT members had voted to strike over a pay rise due in April 2023. TfL has offered a 5% increase, but rises have traditionally been linked to RPI inflation which was running substantially higher last year.
The union argued that TfL could afford more, pointing to a £40,000 salary rise to £395,000 for the transport commissioner, Andy Lord, when his role was confirmed as permanent in June.
Unions have also objected to plans to freeze salary bands for low-paid roles, and are arguing for the restoration of some travel benefits.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the strikes would have cost the hospitality industry £50m, and the suspension “shows what can be achieved by engaging and working with trade unions and transport staff, rather than working against them”.
However, Khan’s 11th-hour intervention appears to have been a surprise to TfL negotiators. A TfL spokesperson said: “Last week we discussed our pay offer extensively with the three trade unions that had rejected it, making clear that TfL cannot afford any more. This remains the case.
“Today, we were made aware that the mayor was able to provide additional funds to enable discussions with the unions to continue. We have all consistently made clear that strike action is bad for everyone and would have a negative impact on the city as it recovers from the pandemic.”
The train drivers union Aslef had accepted the 5% offer but sources indicated that it may now reframe its demands for an inflation-linked deal.
A third rail union, the TSSA, has announced it would ballot for industrial action, while Unite had yet to accept the deal.
Tube workers received an 8.4% pay rise in 2022 as part of a four-year index-linked deal struck before inflation soared.
TfL’s finances were ravaged by the pandemic lockdowns and changing work patterns, with more than 70% of its budget normally coming through fares, mainly from tube passengers.
Last month, ministers granted a further £250m to TfL for investment, including buying new Yorkshire-made Piccadilly line trains, but the capital is no longer getting any central funding for day-to-day transport.
Fares in London are expected to rise by about 5% in March, although the exact increase has yet to be fixed by the mayor.
