Talks continue to avoid fresh Tube strikes

Talks at averting fresh strikes on London Underground will resume today between union leaders and Tube managers.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union staged a 48-hour walkout earlier this month in a bitter row over jobs, pay and disciplinary issues, which caused travel chaos in the capital.

One of the main sticking points is jobs, with the union calling for a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.

Transport for London said it was doing everything possible to avoid compulsory lay-offs, but warned that some jobs had to be cut as a result of the collapse of maintenance giant Metronet.

A spokesman said: "We had constructive talks with the RMT in a preliminary meeting with the union at Acas on Friday and we look forward to continued discussion today.

"On pay, we have made an above-inflation offer which provides stability during tough economic times. On jobs, where we need to reduce the duplication in back-office jobs caused by the collapse of Metronet, we have given assurances that we will do everything possible to avoid compulsory redundancies.

"Frontline staff working on train, stations and in maintenance are not part of this process."