Planned industrial action tomorrow which would have brought chaos to the Jubilee Line has been averted after union bosses and TfL reached an agreement.
The RMT tube union had pledged ‘indefinite’ industrial action from midnight tonight on the Jubilee, Central, Victoria and Northern lines over “excessive track noise.”
Drivers had planned to drive their trains at reduced speed through certain areas of the network, in which the RMT called action short of a strike.
A number of changes has now been agreed between the union and TfL to lessen noise including speed restrictions in certain locations on Fridays and increased rail grinding which would also bring down noise.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash hailed it as a “massive victory” for “militant trade unionism” saying the threatened programme of disruption had secured an “eleventh hour” agreement with London Underground.
“The action is suspended but the dispute remains on and we remain vigilant as the agreed programme is rolled out,” he said.
TfL said it was pleased that the action had been called off following “constructive engagement” to tackle Tube noise.
“The health and safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and we will continue to progress a number of immediate and longer-term plans to help solve this complex issue,” a spokeswoman said.
However the spokeswoman also added that health and safety guidance suggests that Tube noise was unlikely to cause any long-term hearing damage to either staff or passengers.