Return of the strikes: Rail unions announce co-ordinated action as London Underground walkout set to cripple the capital

16 October 2024, 11:01 | Updated: 16 October 2024, 14:38

By EJ Ward

London Underground workers, including tube drivers, station staff and signallers, will stage a series of strikes next month in a dispute over pay.

Both the Aslef and RMT unions announced the walkouts on Wednesday morning, with strike action now expected to see the capital grind to a halt across the first week of November - and beyond.

Aslef announced the dispute will see workers strike on Thursday November 7 and Tuesday November 12, action that's expected to bring the entire Tube network to a halt.

The co-ordinated strike action will also see members of the RMT union walkout across the London Underground network.

The strike, part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions, has seen the union demand members' salaries be brought in-line with workers on the Elizabeth Line and London Overground.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “London Underground’s pay offer falls short of what our members deserve."

"It threatens to remove collective bargaining for a growing portion of staff, pushing them into pay bands that are decided solely by management," he continued following the announcement.

"This undermines our members’ rights and the core principles of fair negotiation."

"No trade union can accept any pay proposal where management decide which of our members gets a pay rise and those who do not.“

Transport for London commissioner, Andy Lord, made the announcement during his regular update to the TfL board.

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Mr Lord expressed disappointment that members of both Aslef and the RMT had voted in favour of industrial action as part of their efforts to secure a better pay offer.

TfL had put forward a revised offer, including a 4.6 per cent pay increase on average, with train drivers being offered 4.5 per cent.

Mr Lord said: "I’m disappointed that Aslef and RMT members have voted for strike action following our recent pay discussions.

"It’s extremely frustrating that Aslef has announced two days of strikes in November on London Underground, especially given our fair and reasonable offer," Mr Lord continued.

"We have held constructive talks with our unions and, based on their feedback, presented a revised proposal, offering an average pay rise of 4.6 per cent, which particularly benefits our lowest-paid staff."

Shadow Transport Secretary Helen Whatley said: “Sadly this is what life is going to look like under a Labour Government.

“Labour have made it clear to unions that every time they go on strike they’ll cave. So it’s no surprise that every week we’ve got a new strike on the cards.”

Full list of London Underground strike dates:

• 1st – 2nd November 2024: RMT Engineering Vehicles Operations and Maintenance staff will strike from 18:00 on 1st November to 17:59 on 2nd November, with no overtime until 8th November.
• 3rd – 4th November 2024: RMT Track Access Controllers, Control Centre, and Power/Control staff will strike from 18:59 on 3rd November to 18:59 on 4th November.
• 4th November 2024: RMT Emergency Response Unit (ERU) staff will strike from 00:01 to 23:59.
• 5th November 2024: RMT Fleet, Engineering, Stations, and Trains staff (except ERU and Engineering Vehicles Operations and Maintenance) will strike from 00:01 to 23:59.
• 6th – 8th November 2024: RMT Signallers and Service Controllers will strike from 00:01 to 23:59 on 6th November, with further strikes on 7th and 8th November.
• Thursday November 7: Aslef 24-hour walkout over pay and conditions.
• Tuesday November 12: Aslef 24-hour walkout over pay and conditions.

Following the RMT announcement, General Secretary Mick Lynch added: "We have repeatedly urged London Underground to offer a deal that ensures all staff are covered by collective bargaining, yet management remains fixated on imposing pay structures without our agreement.

"Our members have been left with no choice but to take strike action to defend their terms and conditions.

“We remain open to negotiations, but London Underground must come back to the table with a comprehensive, consolidated offer that respects the rights of all our members.

"Until then, our industrial action will continue as planned.”

Finn Brennan, Aslef's full-time organiser on the London Underground, said: "We don't want to go on strike - we don't want to make travelling in and around the capital more difficult for passengers and we don't want to lose a day's pay - but we have been forced into this position because LU management won't sit down properly and negotiate with us.

"Our members voted by over 98% in favour of strike action, but Underground management are still refusing to even discuss key elements of our claim.

"They refuse to discuss any reduction in the working week or introducing paid meal relief to bring Underground drivers in line with those on the Elizabeth line and London Overground."

Aslef said a pay offer of 3.8%, plus a variable lump sum, means Underground drivers will stay on a lower salary than drivers on other Transport for London services while working longer hours.

The union said train operators and management grades will strike on November 7 and 12, and engineering drivers will not book on for 24 hours from 6pm on November 1.

Different groups of workers will also ban overtime at different times in November.