Bike hire workers to begin strike in pay row 11 August 2013 Last updated at 18:11 Workers who maintain London's hire bikes are due to go on strike from 21:00 BST in a dispute over pay and shift patterns. The RMT union is unhappy about proposed changes to hours and "the imposition of a 2% pay increase for 2013." Serco - the company which manages the scheme - says it will try to prevent disruption. Andrew Hill, its cycle hire contract director, said he was "deeply disappointed" about the strike. "We have already reached an agreement on the issues the RMT have raised around pay and working pattern changes," he said. Wholly unnecessary This was achieved through a comprehensive, thorough and fair consultation with staff that resulted in a pay rise of 2%, which is above the national average and included other improvements to their terms and conditions. This strike action is therefore wholly unnecessary. The strike is due to last 48 hours. RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "Despite talks with the company we have not been able to make significant progress and so we now have no option but to proceed with strike action starting on Sunday evening. This is one of Mayor Boris Johnson's personal flagship projects and it is about time he intervened to ensure the staff get a fair deal. Transport for London said the row was an issue for Serco.