The Mayor has suspended the plan to run the Underground service half
an hour later on friday and saturday nights because, he states, of
problems getting in agreed with with two of the unions, ASLEF and the
RMT. Two other unions, the TSSA and the far smaller British Transport
Operators' Guild, have agreed to the proposals.

The press release from the Mayor's statement is he
http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=10750

A response from ASLEF is he
http://www.aslef.org.uk/information/104004/

Ken says "ASLEF negotiators have rejected the offer we have made,
including the three days' extra holiday, without putting it to their
members."

ASLEF retort "The problem is not London's tube drivers. It is London
Underground Limited's negotiators. They don't seem to know what
negotiation means."

My initial response is probably that shared by many Londoners - that
the unions are being awkward despite having been offered a good deal
and are stalling progress on this popular initiative. That said when
these spats occur things aren't necessarily as simple as they seem,
though having just read a previous thread ("Tube Strike?" thread,
started January 9 [1]) it does seem like the late running plan isn't a
fig leaf for other grievances, but is in fact the primary sticking
point. One issue seems to be whether LU would pay for drivers to get a
taxi home after late shifts.


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[1] http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....on/browse_frm/
thread/4fc15fddb3dc00b9/