London Underground Faces Four-Day Strike Disruption
London, UK – The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced a four-day strike on the London Underground, scheduled to begin on August 7th, threatening meaningful disruption to the capital’s transport network. The strike involves tube staff and service controllers, escalating a dispute over pay and working conditions.
RMT general secretary Mick Dempsey stated that tube staff are working “strenuous shift patterns” that are “impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing.” The union is seeking improvements to address fatigue and maintain existing benefits,including heavily subsidised national rail travel.
Transport for London (TfL) chief operating officer Claire Mann urged the RMT to call off the action, stating, “We call on the RMT to suspend this action, put our fair and affordable offer to thier members and continue discussions with us.” Mann highlighted that TfL’s pay deal aligns with settlements accepted by the RMT across the wider rail industry and expressed disappointment at the planned disruption without a member vote on the offer. She affirmed TfL’s commitment to fair treatment of colleagues and openness to further discussion, but maintained that reducing the standard 35-hour working week is “neither practical nor affordable.”
According to TfL, average earnings for train operators (drivers) are £71,000 annually, while station staff earn £44,000. Some service controllers involved in the strike are reported to earn over £100,000 per year.
The declaration follows the cancellation of a planned strike in early January 2024 after London mayor Sadiq Khan allocated an additional £30m towards pay increases, a move some believe has encouraged further industrial action.
Separately, the train drivers’ union Aslef has announced strike action at CrossCountry on October 3rd and continues a dispute with Hull Trains regarding a dismissed driver, following a protest rally held in Hull last week.
