Commuters face more Tube strike misery

The London Underground faces two shutdowns after Tube drivers joined other workers in voting to strike over pay.

Thousands of employees will walk out for 24 hours from 8pm next Tuesday and again on 1 October, bringing another round of travel chaos to the capital and costing the economy an estimated £60m a day.

Union officials warned of more stoppages unless management increased a 3 per cent pay rise. The stoppages, which follow industrial action during the summer over safety and part-privatisation, come amid a rash of other disputes on the Tube network.

Members of the RMT rail union, which represents employees from platform staff to signallers, voted earlier this month to walk out and yesterday the train drivers' union Aslef announced its members had opted to join them. Drivers voted by 669 to 434 to strike. Both unions are calling for a "substantial" rise and protesting at management's refusal to return to mediation.

The second of the walkouts will coincide with the Labour Party's annual conference in Blackpool, drawing renewed attention to the Government's deteriorating relations with unions. Ministers are already facing national strikes by firefighters and stoppages by local government workers over London weighting payments.

Bob Mason, London Underground's director of human resources, said: "Following prolonged negotiations and three visits to Acas we have made it clear to the unions that talks on pay are now at an end. We have no intention of caving in to threats and if the RMT and Aslef are determined to put London through the misery of two pointless strikes the responsibility is theirs alone."