LONDON — A 24-hour strike by London Underground drivers began on Tuesday, causing widespread transport disruption in London. About half of London’s tube drivers participated in the walkout, which targeted the introduction of a four-day working week for drivers.
Transport for London (TfL) and RMT union representatives held 11th-hour negotiations at Acas before the strike, but failed to reach an agreement. About half of all Tube services were expected to run during the strike, with severe delays reported on the Bakerloo, District, Hammersmith and City, Victoria, Piccadilly, and Northern lines on Tuesday morning.
No service was expected on the Circle line, the Waterloo and City line, or the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate. The Central line also faced a complete closure between White City and Liverpool Street during the strike. Other rail services, including the Elizabeth line, the London Overground, and the Docklands Light Railway, operated as normal. Buses ran on schedule but were heavily congested due to increased road traffic.
Drivers in the Aslef union, who make up a slight majority of tube drivers, supported the four-day week proposals and did not join the strike. TfL said the four-day week plan remains voluntary. "Our proposals are, and have always been, clear. The completely voluntary four-day week has been designed to improve work-life balance and any of our tube drivers who do not wish to take up the new proposed way of working and associated changes to working arrangements can remain on a five-day working pattern," said Claire Mann, chief operating officer. An RMT spokesperson criticized TfL’s handling of negotiations: "Despite our best efforts in Acas talks, TfL have failed to provide assurances on our members’ deeply held concerns around fatigue, reduced flexibility, shift lengths and the impact these proposals could have in a safety-critical role like tube driving." The union added, "We remain available for meaningful talks, but strike action tomorrow will now go ahead."
A second 24-hour strike is scheduled for Thursday, following the same pattern as Tuesday’s action, which began at 00:01. Business groups said the threat of strikes had already caused disruption. Ed Richardson said, "For many businesses that rely on people visiting in person, the impact of these strikes will have already been felt through cancelled bookings and people changing their plans." He added, "We urge both sides to reach a sustainable agreement to put an end to the damaging uncertainty hanging over businesses and London’s economy."