London Underground drivers belonging to the RMT union will walk out twice next week after talks over a compressed working week broke down, with disruption expected across the network on four consecutive days.
The strikes are confirmed for 24-hour periods beginning at midday on Tuesday 21 April and Thursday 23 April, with knock-on disruption likely to stretch into the following mornings. A separate walkout by Stagecoach bus drivers in the capital, starting at 5am on Friday 24 April, will compound the difficulties for commuters towards the end of the week.
What the dispute is about
The row centres on TfL’s proposal to move train drivers from a five-day to a four-day working week. Under the plan, contractual hours would be compressed from 36 hours over five days to 35 hours across four, with the reduction accounted for by one fewer paid lunch break. TfL says the change would be voluntary, that no driver would be forced to adopt the new pattern, and that those who preferred to remain on five days could do so.
The RMT does not object to a four-day week in principle but wants the total hours cut to 32 rather than 35. General secretary Eddie Dempsey has argued that the longer individual shifts — eight hours and 45 minutes under TfL’s model — would cause driver fatigue and pose a risk to the safety of both staff and passengers.
The dispute has been running since April 2025, when the rival drivers’ union Aslef accepted TfL’s proposal, describing it at the time as “exactly the sort of deal every trade union should be trying to achieve.” The RMT’s refusal to follow suit has left the two unions on opposite sides of the same offer.
Why talks collapsed
Dempsey said the union had negotiated in good faith throughout but accused TfL of being unwilling to make any meaningful concessions. “This is extremely disappointing and has baffled our negotiators,” he said. “The approach of TfL is not one which leads to industrial peace and will infuriate our members who want to see a negotiated settlement to this avoidable dispute.”
Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, defended the proposals, saying the four-day pattern would bring the Underground into line with other train operators while improving reliability and flexibility at no additional cost.
What passengers should expect
TfL has urged travellers to check services before setting out. Normal operations are expected on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with disruption building from late morning as the walkouts take effect at noon. Significant disruption is forecast across all lines from midday on both strike days and into the following mornings, with services not expected to return to normal until Wednesday and Friday evenings.
