The Northern Line will be affected by strike action later this week.

A new wave of strikes on London Underground will kick off on Friday as part of a long-running dispute over pensions for Tube Lines staff.

The RMT union has instructed members not to book on for any shifts between 6am on Friday and 6am on Saturday.

The union is also fighting for its members to be given free travel within London, and 75 per cent off the cost of travel on mainline railways.

Tube Lines staff are responsible for both maintenance and upgrade work on the Northern Line.

They also provide a number of services across the network, including the Emergency Response Unit and distribution services.

RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, said: “This dispute is about fairness and equality, nothing else.

“RMT members have delivered a massive mandate and rock-solid action following a straightforward demand for parity with other Tube staff on pensions and passes.

“This dispute is about justice and about ensuring that all groups of staff under the umbrella of London Underground receive the same rights and benefits and our members have no choice but to strike again in the fight to secure those basic rights.

“We have gone through all the negotiating channels but Tube Lines continue to refuse to budge and have also refused to engage in meaningful talks.

“It is that pig-headed approach has raised the temperature on the shop floor and has resulted in this latest phase of strike action later this week.”