The RMT states that the proposed changes will result in drivers facing longer hours operating trains and working extended days. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey described the plan as a “wholesale attack on drivers’ working conditions,” alleging that the scheme is not voluntary. Dempsey claims the proposal forces drivers to give up existing protections and threatens those who refuse with displacement from their depots. The union argues that members are being asked to spend more time driving trains, accept more unpredictable shifts, and surrender agreements negotiated over many years.
Transport for London (TfL) disputes the RMT’s characterization, maintaining that the four-day working week proposal is voluntary. TfL stated that the scheme would allow drivers to work fewer hours overall. Under the proposals, most drivers would see their working week reduced from 36 hours to 35 hours, according to TfL. Contractual hours would remain unchanged because paid meal breaks would be introduced, resulting in drivers working longer days but fewer days per week.
Finn Brennan, full-time organiser for the Aslef union on the London Underground, expressed surprise at the RMT’s decision to strike. Brennan stated that the voluntary four-day week offers drivers an extra 35 days off annually with rosters based on a 34-hour week. In exchange, drivers would agree to some changes to working conditions and move from paper-based to electronic systems for booking on duty. Management has agreed that drivers wishing to retain a five-day week can do so without detriment, a commitment Aslef said it will hold them to.
The RMT, representing approximately half of the network’s drivers, has proposed an alternative arrangement of a 32-hour week over four days. This would allow drivers to work three fewer hours each week for the same salary. The Aslef union represents many of the remaining drivers. Previous strikes in the spring over the same issue caused significant disruption across the network, with some lines entirely closed.
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