Responding to the announcement of the RMT ballot on strike action on New Year's Eve, a London Underground spokesperson said: "There are no staff cuts across the Tube network.

There will be no overall cut in staff numbers

"The RMT is threatening to strike over the implementation of a shorter 35-hour, five-day working week on London Underground.

"This is an agreement that they campaigned for and signed over a year ago, and which was endorsed by their General Secretary, Executive Council and Tube membership by a margin of 30-1.

"London Underground and the RMT agreed to implement a shorter working week, as long as it came at no extra cost to the Tube farepayers.

"This means some staff being redeployed from ticket offices to station platforms and ticket halls, which can also boost reassurance for our passengers and security.

"There will be no overall cut in staff numbers.

"The continued success of Oyster had led to a significant reduction in the demand for paper tickets - one million fewer paper tickets each week - reducing the need for the same number of staff in ticket offices.

"We hope this can be resolved without the need for strike action."

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