Tennis ace Andy Murray in plea to avert Tube strikes

Andy Murray today pleaded with union leaders and Tube bosses to avert a strike for the sake of thousands of tennis fans.

The British No1 voiced his concerns over walkouts due to start on the eve of Wimbledon.

He said: "I am hoping it all gets sorted out before Wimbledon starts. I know lots of fans have bought their tickets and can't wait for the action to start." A wave of public sector strikes over job cuts is also threatened for this summer.

The RMT union is to stage a series of Tube strikes starting on Sunday with more planned for the following week over a sacked driver.

RMT leader Bob Crow said: "This trade union would not be worth its salt if we didn't stand up and fight injustice. It's not too late to make amends rather than plunging London into a series of Tube-wide actions. There is still time to put right this wrong."

RMT leaders are insisting driver Arwyn Thomas - sacked over alleged abusive behaviour towards his colleagues, a charge he denies - is given his job back. He is currently being paid his £40,000-a-year salary until a full tribunal hearing this month to decide his fate.

Boris Johnson has called the strikes "pointless" and said they would only damage the enjoyment of Wimbledon for fans.

He said: "Thousands of Londoners will be looking forward to cheering on their tennis heroes at Wimbledon and it is mystifying that the leadership of the RMT wish to go on strike in advance of a tribunal decision that Transport for London said it will abide by and which is expected shortly. I urge them to resolve their issues through discussion, not pointless strike action."

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week accused Mr Crow of using "blackmail" at tennis fans' expense with the timing of the strikes. He said: "Can't believe RMT are planning to strike over Wimbledon. Feels like an utterly cynical attempt at blackmail at expense of fans." Today the RMT and London Underground agreed to meet at conciliation service Acas to try to hammer out a deal.

Howard Collins, London Underground's chief operating officer, said: "All through the process we have urged the RMT leadership to solve this issue through discussion with us, rather than through pointless strike action. This includes discussion at Acas."

If the talks fail, tournament directors insist the strikes should not affect crowd numbers, but admitted they would be an "inconvenience to our visitors and staff". They will advise spectators to look for alternative ways to get to the grounds, and will supply additional shuttle services where needed to ferry people from central London and overland stations to the courts.