Tube strike set to be stepped up

Underground strikes in Glasgow may extend to four days a week

Glasgow underground workers are set to escalate their industrial action to four days a week after rejecting the latest offer in their ongoing dispute.

Negotiations over pay and conditions between the Transport & General Workers Union (T&G) and Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) fell apart on Thursday.

As a result, the T&G has decided to up its level of industrial action to a four-day strike every fortnight.

SPT said it was very disappointed and said no more money is on the table.

Tens of thousands of commuters across the city faced major disruption on Thursday when subway staff staged the third 24-hour strike in their dispute with their employees.

The decision to up industrial action has been formally notified to the company after it was put before members T&G spokesman

The latest stoppage came after talks in the two sides' long-running dispute, which centres on pay and conditions, broke down in Glasgow earlier this week.

Following the collapse of talks the union formally notified SPT of its decision to up its level of industrial action.

The proposed strikes will initially increase to a 48-hour period next week between Friday 15 April and Saturday 16 April.

SPT said it was told the action would escalate to four days a week from Friday 22 April through to Monday 25 April, and every second week thereafter, unless the two sides can reach agreement.

Formal notification

A T&G spokesman said: "Talks have broken down today and the members have unanimously rejected both the pay offer and other terms that were made by SPT.

"The decision to up industrial action has been formally notified to the company after it was put before members.

"If nothing is sorted out then the action will go ahead as planned.

"The union will be releasing a full statement to clarify the issue on Friday morning."

The renewed industrial action will simply eat into the money available to fund any future pay award Douglas Ferguson SPT

SPT said it had made the final, improved pay offer to staff and it would have come into immediate effect.

SPT's director of operations, Douglas Ferguson, said: 'We are very disappointed this generous pay offer has been rejected. We have said all along that there is no new money available.

"This pay deal would have been paid for through improvements in productivity and flexibility. That has not changed.

"The renewed industrial action will simply eat into the money available to fund any future pay award.

"Our door is open and we would urge the T&G to return to the negotiating table."