Thursday 2 May 2019 08:44, UK
Fans travelling to the FA Cup final could find their travel plans disrupted with London Underground maintenance and engineering workers set to stage a three-day strike over the weekend of the match.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said more than 1,000 of its members will walk out from 7am on May 17 over safety fears, a move that would affect thousands of supporters travelling to Wembley on May 18 for the game between Manchester City and Watford.
The union claimed train preparation and inspection schedules were being "hacked back", with the RMT confirming its members had voted by 9-1 in favour of industrial action.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "The ballot result showed just how angry Tube staff are at proposals London Underground are attempting to bulldoze through that would decimate the inspection and safety culture on the fleet.
"Despite that result Tube bosses have ignored the workforce and are pressing ahead and it is that intransigence that has left us no option but to confirm industrial action.
"Our message is clear, LU should pull back immediately rather than crash on regardless of the consequences of their actions.
"We remain available for genuine and serious talks."
Workers involved in the dispute are based at maintenance depots across London, with the union claiming that plans to "decimate" inspection frequencies would lead to more Tube train failures.
Regardless of the reason for the proposed strike, fans travelling to the cup final will be hoping a resolution can be found that allows the industrial action to be called off.
