The announcement came as it emerged the September 12 launch date for the Night Tube is expected to be delayed, according to sources.
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Members of three unions, the RMT, TSSA and Unite, are due to stage two 24-hour walkouts from the evenings of 25 and 27 August following two stoppages in the past month.
Four trade unions are locked in a months-long dispute with management over London Mayor Boris Johnson’s plans to run a 24-hour Tube service on Fridays and Saturdays from September 12.
Negotiations from both sides were meeting today at the conciliation service ACAS.
A statement said the cost of what unions were asking for would be about £1.4 billion to 2023/24, increasing fares by 6.5% or scaling back modernisation plans.
The union boss also said that members were operating on a “work to rule” regime today, leading to delays on the District Line.
The union’s decision is a blow to striking hardliners, who have managed to shut down the tube entirely twice in the past six weeks during a dispute over the introduction of all-night services from next month.
Mick Cash, the RMT general secretary, said LU was trying to cover up the impact of action short of a strike.
It could mean some services may be in operation during the upcoming planned strike, however this was not immediately confirmed by Transport for London.
The train drivers’ union Aslef has yet to announce if it will join the August strikes.
“To minimise the impact on customers we are using qualified and experienced managers and engineers to complete some of the maintenance checks normally carried out by staff involved in the industrial action”.
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Subway workers had been offered a 2 percent pay increase this year and at least 1 percent in 2016 to back the Night Tube, plus a 500-pound bonus on affected lines and a 2,000-pound lump sum for drivers.
