HYPOCRITICAL London Underground (LU) bosses are refusing to meet with unions over the bungled Night Tube because LU’s lead negotiator is “sunning herself,” the Morning Star can reveal.

Human resources chief Jean Cockerill is booked off work until Monday despite bosses previously insisting that all-night trains would launch this weekend.

The revelation came as it was claimed that Tube managers now do not anticipate the service will launch until as late as March.

Tube unions Aslef, RMT, TSSA and Unite are locked in a bitter dispute with London Underground over the implementation of the night trains, which are planned to run on Fridays and Saturdays on the Victoria, Northern, Central, Piccadilly and Jubilee lines.

Union reps say they were met with “stalling and obfuscating” when they contacted Transport for London over planned talks at conciliation service Acas this week.

Bosses reportedly told union negotiators that they needed further time for internal discussions before coming to the table, but it has now emerged that Ms Cockerill has been booked off since Monday.

The holiday hoo-ha has struck a painful note with union reps targeted by smears claiming that they were themselves abroad at the time of the last Tube strikes.

Aslef lead negotiator Finn Brennan was accused of flying out to Spain on the day of the strike, while an RMT regional organiser was wrongly said to have already landed in the US.

Last night a union source told the Star that workers were convinced that the stories had been briefed to the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard by Tube bosses.

Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi said the pair should “feel the pain of families and commuters” while they were “sunning themselves on holiday.”

Aslef executive member Terry Wilkinson said: “We have no problem with anyone taking leave to which they are entitled, but talk about double standards!

“We have never, on the trade union side, refused to meet because anyone is away.

“Now London Underground say they can’t come to the negotiating table to get a deal done for the benefit of passengers, drivers and London Underground, because Jean has swanned off somewhere sunny.”

A Transport for London spokesman denied that they had refused to enter talks, saying management were always available.

“The union leadership were requesting time to discuss progress so far,” he said.

But Aslef said they had specifically wanted to reconvene talks this week.

“We want to sit down and do a deal and TfL are dragging their feet,” a spokesman said.

When the Star contacted Ms Cockerill, her email account gave an automatic response saying she was “on annual leave” and that queries should be directed elsewhere.

For the Tube’s key human resources figure to take holiday this week could call into question London Mayor Boris Johnson’s insistence that the service, which will require a huge staffing shake-up, was ready to launch on September 12.

Following two Tube strikes to fight for a proper staffing deal, the launch date was withdrawn at the end of last month in favour of a vague pledge to kick off the expansion “in the autumn.”

But a source close to the dispute said that managers were now expecting the service would not launch until March.