London Underground has refused RMT's offer of binding arbitration on the issue of how the company decides whether a ticket office should be open. Currently, LU has a ticket office open at times when it sells more than 15 tickets per hour. This is already higher than the rail industry standard, and the London TravelWatch recommended figure, of 12 ticekts per hour - LU plans to double the criterion to 30 tickets per hour. Astonishingly, LU seems to believe that a ticket office selling 29 tickets in an hour - as well as resolving ticket problems, giving information and helping customers in other ways - is not busy enough to warrant staying open.

RMT objects to this move, which results in planned savage ticket office closures and job losses, and has offered to go to bindinjg arbitration ie. to invite a neutral person to conisder LU's case and the union's, and to abide by that person's finding. London Underground has rejected this offer. The company's Director of Employee Relations wrote to the union that "RMT's proposal is not acceptable to London Underground ... The question of ticket office sales per hour and how this is incorporated into the overall ticketing strategy is the prerogative of London Underground. As RMT knows, policy decisions taken by London Underground in relation to the running of its business are not matters for negotiation or arbitration with trades unions."

RMT Regional Organiser Steve Hedley said: "RMT is so confident in its case that the union is prepared to accept a decision from a neutral person on the issue, LUL is clearly frightened because quite frankly it has no case. Transport For Lies, as they are now known by journalists always claim that we want to strike instead of talk - now we can all see the reverse is true."