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Tube workers tell johnson to talk

Unions ready for last-minute talks on 48-hour strike if mayor shelves dangerous plans to axe 800 jobs

Rail union leaders told Tory London Mayor Boris Johnson yesterday they were ready for 11th-hour talks to stop a two-day Tube strike - but not with a job cuts "gun" to their heads.

The Underground will grind to a halt at 9pm today when members of the RMT and TSSA unions walk out in protest at plans to cull 800 ticket office jobs.

Week-long negotiations ended without compromise.

But RMT leader Bob Crow and TSSA leader Manuel Cortes said the 48 hour strike could still be called off if Mr Johnson agreed to face-to-face talks without the threat of job losses.

They made the appeal at a joint press conference at TUC Congress House.

"Our message to the mayor is quite clear - we're prepared to suspend the industrial action if he's prepared to suspend the job losses," Mr Crow said.

The right-wing press paid photographers to follow Mr Crow all the way to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil last week in a bid to turn public opinion against his union's strike.

Daily Mail articles accused Mr Crow of preventing talks that could end the dispute.

He revealed the cruise he took was advertised in the Daily Mail - holding up a copy of the paper's advert as proof of their hypocrisy.

And he pointed out that Mr Johnson has refused to meet him or other rail union leaders once since he took power at City Hall in May 2008.

"I could be in my home, Brazil or Kilimanjaro," said Mr Crow. "The fact is it has made no difference at all.

"I'm here today waiting to meet the mayor. He ain't met me all weekend, he ain't met me today and may never meet me - but I'm available to meet him."

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes was clear the smear campaign was "just a smokescreen" to mask unpopular plans to slash safety-critical jobs.

He said: "The reality is the person who has not been playing ball to try and get a resolution to this is Boris.

"Take the gun off our heads and we can talk about anything you want to."

Mr Cortes said he was confident the public backed their campaign to save the jobs of staff who helped passengers to safety after the 7/7 bombings.

"Boris stood on a promise of keeping every booking office open," he said.

"The reason he did that is because he knew it was popular and would gain him votes.

"When you have growing passenger numbers, it makes no sense whatsoever that you can run the Tube with less people.

"The mayor is prepared to gamble with passenger safety. Our members aren't."

The union leaders also revealed Tube bosses have been bullying staff who volunteered during the Olympic Games to cross picket lines and help keep lines running during the strike.

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