London Underground workers will be joined by their colleagues at Transport for London (TfL) in staging industrial action this month, it was announced yesterday.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on the capital’s subterranean train network will walk out from 9pm on Monday April 28 for two days and again from 9pm on Monday May 5 for three days over ticket office closures.

The union claimed that long-running talks hosted by conciliation service Acas aimed at settling the dispute were “wrecked by a combination of management intransigence and the introduction of additional measures” which made the original plans even worse.

RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said: “The talks aimed at resolving the dispute on London Underground over the savage cuts to jobs, services and safety have been cynically wrecked by a Tube management who not only refused to budge an inch but who have chosen to up the ante by injecting further poisonous measures into a package that was already toxic to the core.”

The union has also instructed members at London transport umbrella group TfL not to report for any shifts between 9pm on Monday April 28 and 20:59pm on Wednesday April 30.

RMT has accused management of dragging its feet over negotiations on pensions.

The first two days of action will precede a massive demonstration in London on May 1 in honour of late RMT general secretary Bob Crow and veteran socialist Tony Benn, both of whom died last month.