Underground Union Slams Tube Boss In Excellent Response To Open Letter

Related: When does the tube strike start? Everything You need to know

In this morning's Metro, Managing Director of the London Underground Nick Brown offered commuters an apology.

"I am sorry", he wrote in his open letter, "that your journeys this evening and tomorrow will again be disrupted by the unions". It was a pre-emptive piece of PR, a counter-strike against the strike; according to Brown, the unions had rejected a "fair" offer, and were demanding more money.

But they aren't. At least, not according to Mick Cash, general secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).

We reached out to Cash to ask if RMT felt Brown's open letter was fair, or indeed, an accurate reflection of why the unions were striking:

"The offer tabled by London Underground is just a rehash ‎of an earlier offer and does nothing to tackle the fundamental issue of our members being called into work at the beck and call of management to plug staffing gaps in the Mayor's botched Night Tube plans," Cash told ShortList.com.

"This dispute is not about money, it's about being able to plan for and enjoy some downtime with friends and family away from work. The current plans wreck that.

"It's obvious to most people that if you expand and extend a service then you need more staff and not less. That is the crucial issue. Instead of conducting talks through the media LU should be back round the table with the unions sorting out a solution to this mess."

Related: Tube worker explains the real reasons behind strikes

While Brown's open letter looks to assure the general public that these strikes are the fault of money-hungry unions, Cash presents a very different cause. 

Where do your sympathies lie? Let us know below.