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Mayor Boris Johnson has told Transport for London to "pull out all the stops" in his bid to thwart Tube strikes crippling the capital. From 5pm Monday, 10,000 London Underground staff will walkout for 24 hours in a row over 800 ticket office job losses after talks at the conciliation service Acas broke down yesterday. Nearly 100 extra buses, 10,000 more Thames river boat passenger places, marshalled taxi ranks and escorted bike rides will be laid on. Volunteers will also be outside Tube, bus and railway stations to provide passengers with travel information. Rail, Maritime and Transport union's General Secretary Bob Crow urged Johnson to take the dispute seriously. Transport for London has warned that disruption is expected from late afternoon on Monday and will last throughout Tuesday if the strike goes ahead. Further stoppages are planned on 6 September, 3 October, 2 November and 28 November Mayor Boris Johnson urged the unions to use common sense, but said: "Londoners are a hardy bunch and I am sure a Tube strike will not deter us from getting around. The extra measures we have put in call for a team effort." RMT and Transport Salaried Staffs Association maintenance and engineering staff intend to walk out at 1700 BST with other workers, including Tube drivers, signalers and station staff, following suit at 2100 BST . Crow said: "RMT remains available for talks but we cannot and will not negotiate with a gun at our heads. It's down to LU to pull back from the brink of their ill-conceived cuts plans and to clear the way for meaningful discussions that protect safety and safe staffing levels.” Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: "There is no need for any action as the changes we are introducing come with no compulsory redundancies." Workers at Alstom-Metro depots on the Jubilee and Northern lines also plan to strike in protest over pay and conditions. They will walk out for 24 hours at 1900 on 5 September, 2 October, 1 November and 27 November. TSSA members employed by Tube Lines will strike next Tuesday in a different row over pay. Managers and clerical workers will walk out from 9am to 5pm and start an indefinite ban on overtime.
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