The strike dates have been set as 26 November, 17 December, 19 December, 4 January, 6 January, 17 February, 23 February, and 25 February. The walkouts are centered on a long-running dispute regarding Transport for London (TfL) plans to introduce a four-day working week for drivers. While TfL has characterized the proposal as voluntary and beneficial, the RMT contends that the scheme is a “wholesale attack on drivers’ working conditions” disguised as an improvement to work-life balance.
Under the proposals, most drivers would see their standard working week reduced from 36 hours to 34 hours. In exchange for this reduction, and an additional 35 days off per year, drivers would be required to accept changes to their working arrangements, including a shift from paper-based to electronic systems for booking on for duty. Finn Brennan, the full-time organiser for the Aslef union on the London Underground, described the voluntary four-day week as a positive development that gives drivers more time off. He noted that management has agreed that any driver wishing to retain a five-day work schedule can do so without suffering detriment.
“We are surprised that the RMT has, once again, decided to take strike action to try to prevent Underground drivers moving to a four-day week on a voluntary basis,” Brennan said. “A strike designed to stop people having the choice of a shorter working week and more time off is a strange choice to make.” Aslef, which represents many of the drivers not affiliated with the RMT, has fully endorsed the plans, viewing them as a significant improvement to driver welfare.
However, the RMT, which represents approximately half of the drivers on the network, rejects this characterization. Eddie Dempsey, the RMT general secretary, argued that the scheme is not truly voluntary, claiming it forces drivers to give up existing protections regardless of whether they choose a four-day or five-day week. “Our members are being asked to spend more time driving trains, accept longer and more unpredictable shifts and surrender agreements that have been negotiated and defended over many years,” Dempsey said. The union asserts that those who refuse the new arrangements face the threat of displacement from their depots, a claim TfL has not explicitly denied in the provided materials but has countered by emphasizing the voluntary nature of the change.
The RMT stated it has yet to receive guarantees regarding drivers’ rights to remain on existing five-day working arrangements, believing the proposals would worsen shift certainty and increase the time spent driving. The union described the initiative as an attempt to “squeeze more work out of fewer drivers while giving management greater flexibility at the expense of our members.”
This latest round of industrial action follows a series of highly disruptive strikes in the spring, specifically in April and June, which resulted in significant service closures and reduced frequencies across the network. Despite TfL’s insistence that the four-day week is a voluntary benefit, the conflict has intensified, with the RMT maintaining that the new terms erode the safety and predictability of drivers’ roles. The union’s strategy appears aimed at halting the implementation of the new rostering system before it becomes fully embedded in the network’s operations.
For commuters, the timing of the strikes poses a particular challenge. The actions scheduled for 17 and 19 December coincide with the peak pre-Christmas shopping period, when demand for public transport is at its highest. The previous spring strikes saw some lines entirely closed, and while TfL has not yet released a specific contingency plan for the winter strikes, the RMT’s announcement signals that service reductions will be substantial during the 24-hour periods of action.
The dispute highlights a significant fracture in the representation of London Underground drivers, with the two major unions taking diametrically opposed stances on the same policy. While Aslef views the four-day week as a modernization that improves quality of life, the RMT sees it as a dilution of hard-won labor standards. With no immediate indication of a negotiated settlement, the next formal step lies in the execution of the strike ballots and the commencement of the first walkout on 26 November, which will set the tone for the remainder of the winter industrial calendar.
