Reuters/London

Talks aimed at calling off next week’s London underground rail strike are to be held tomorrow at conciliation service ACAS between leaders of the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport) union and Transport for London, ACAS said yesterday.
The RMT has called a strike next week that threatens to cause huge travel disruption on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as part of its opposition to plans to modernise the London tube system which it fears will mean job losses.
It has already held two full days of strikes this week. An ACAS statement said: “We are holding talks with all the parties involved in the London Underground tube dispute on May 2 at 10am. Talks will take place at ACAS.” A similar, two-stage round of Tube strikes earlier this year was suspended after the first stoppage when the sides agreed to try to settle the dispute through negotiation.
Meanwhile London commuters crammed onto trains and buses yesterday as the second day of a strike by Underground train workers halved the level of services across the city.
London Underground’s managing director Mike Brown said the level of services was at about 50% capacity compared to 40% during the last strike in February.
He said 90% of the electronic Oyster travel cards that would normally be used on the network were used on Tuesday and two thirds of the city’s 274 stations were open.
The Federation of Small Businesses estimated that February’s two-day strike cost small businesses, which make up about 99% of London companies, about £600mn pounds in lost working hours, business and productivity. Further action planned for February was averted as the two sides headed back into talks but those negotiations broke down earlier this month, triggering this week’s walk-out.