Commuters across the capital are bracing for fresh disruption on the London Underground next week, as drivers belonging to the RMT union prepare to stage four days of strike action in a dispute over working patterns.
What passengers can expect
The walkouts will take place in two 24-hour blocks. The first begins at midday on Tuesday 21 April and runs until 11:59am on Wednesday 22 April. A second strike follows from midday on Thursday 23 April until the same time on Friday 24 April.
Transport for London has said services are likely to run normally during the mornings of each strike day, before severe disruption takes hold from midday onwards and extends into the evening. On the days that follow, a gradual return to normal is expected, though delays are likely to linger into the late morning.
Rather than a full shutdown, TfL expects to run reduced services on most lines. That is because the action involves only drivers who are members of the RMT. Drivers belonging to ASLEF, as well as non-driver RMT staff, are not taking part. The impact, officials suggest, should therefore be less severe than the widespread disruption seen during last September’s strikes.
Why the RMT has called the action
At the heart of the dispute is a proposal by London Underground to introduce a compressed four-day working week for Tube drivers. The RMT says the plan was rejected by a majority of train operators in an internal ballot, but that management has pressed ahead without reaching an agreement with the union.
Members have raised concerns about shift lengths, rostering arrangements and the potential impact on fatigue and safety. Eddie Dempsey, the RMT’s general secretary, said the union had spent months trying to find a negotiated way out of the dispute. “London Underground is trying to force through major changes to working patterns that have already been rejected by our members,” he said, adding that there was still time for managers to come forward with a workable solution before the first walkout begins.
A spring of rolling disruption
Next week’s action forms only part of a wider programme of strikes stretching into the early summer. The RMT has also announced two further days of action in May, from the 19th to the 22nd, along with additional walkouts on 16 and 18 June. An earlier set of dates in March was called off after progress was reported in talks between the union and TfL.
Passengers travelling on the affected days are being urged to plan journeys in advance, check live travel updates and consider alternatives such as buses, National Rail services, cycling or walking. Seven bus routes operating from Bow Bus Garage — among them the 8, 25, 205 and their night equivalents — are also expected to be affected on selected dates.
For the weekend immediately ahead, however, no industrial action is planned. The Underground is expected to run as normal on Saturday and Sunday, before the disruption begins at midday on Tuesday.
