London is bracing for severe travel disruption next week as strikes by RMT members are set to bring the Underground to a standstill for four days.
The industrial action, starting on Friday, will escalate from Sunday evening and is expected to leave virtually no tube services running until Friday morning.
Transport for London (TfL) has warned passengers to check before travelling, with the capital’s buses, the Elizabeth line, London Overground and national rail services likely to face significant crowding as commuters seek alternatives. The Docklands Light Railway will also shut on Tuesday and Thursday due to a separate dispute.
The RMT union has called more than 10,000 of London Underground’s 15,000 staff to strike in a row over pay, working hours and conditions. The union is demanding a reduction in the working week from 35 to 32 hours, alongside improvements in fatigue management and shift patterns.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey, leading his first major strike since succeeding Mick Lynch, said tube workers face “strenuous shift patterns” that are “impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing”.
The series of strikes will roll out across different parts of the Underground network. Services will start to be affected on Sunday 7 September, with power and track access controllers walking out. Station and train staff will strike on Monday and Wednesday, while signallers and service controllers will take action on Tuesday and Thursday. This timetable means most tube services will be suspended until 8am on Friday 12 September.
TfL has insisted it made a “fair, affordable pay offer” of 3.4%, in line with inflation and other rail industry deals agreed with the RMT. However, the organisation has ruled out reducing the contractual 35-hour working week.
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, urged the union to step back from strike action: “We call on the RMT to suspend this action, put our fair and affordable offer to their members and continue discussions with us. Our pay deal is in line with other offers accepted by the RMT across the rail industry, so it is disappointing the RMT is planning to disrupt Londoners without giving their members a say on the offer.”
She added that TfL remained committed to further discussions on fatigue management but stressed a shorter working week was “neither practical nor affordable”.
The dispute has drawn attention to pay and benefits within the Underground. Train operators currently earn an average of £71,000 a year, station staff around £44,000, and some service controllers more than £100,000. The RMT is also reported to be seeking an extension of perks such as heavily subsidised national rail travel.
The RMT’s strike is part of a wider wave of rail disputes across Britain. The train drivers’ union Aslef has announced a strike at CrossCountry on 3 October and continues its battle with Hull Trains over the dismissal of a driver, following a protest rally in the city last week.
With talks between TfL and the RMT stalled, Londoners face the prospect of the most significant tube shutdown in years, reigniting debate over transport funding, pay settlements and union power.
