LONDON, Dec. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A 24-hour strike on the Tube network is set to go ahead on New Year's eve in London, as talks to avert it broke down.

    The Financial Times reported on Saturday that the strike was announced on Thursday after London Underground station staff voted by more than five to one to take action over disagreements about the working week, manning levels and safety.

    The underground staff and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) tried unsuccessfully to settle the dispute.

    RMT said the four-hour talks had failed to resolve the row over "back-door station staff cuts on the London Underground."

    It said 4,000 union members were due to strike on New Year's eve and on Jan. 8-9 in the dispute "over the company's refusal to withdraw unsafe rosters and mass staff displacements imposed without agreement."

    The underground network, with 13 lines, is one of the key transport systems for Londoners. Enditem