The RMT union has announced rolling Tube strikes lasting seven days, with different London Underground roles walking out at various times.
The Tube strikes are scheduled to begin on 5 September and come after management, according to the RMT, refused to “engage seriously” with union demands on pay, fatigue management, extreme shift patterns and a reduction in the working week. The union also said London Underground has failed to honour previous agreements made with staff.
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RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock.
“They are not after a King’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on our members’ health and wellbeing – all of which have not been adequately addressed for years by London Underground management.
“Coupled with the fact there are outstanding issues around staff travel arrangements, an atmosphere of distrust has been created, where our members feel like no one is listening to them.
“RMT will continue to engage LU management with a view to seeking a revised offer in order to reach a negotiated settlement.”
RMT said there is widespread anger and distrust among the workforce, who voted in “overwhelming” numbers to take strike action.
A Transport for London spokesperson said: “We regularly meet with our trade unions to discuss any concerns that they may have, and we recently met with the RMT to discuss some specific points. We are committed to ensuring our colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4% pay increase in our ongoing pay discussions, we have made progress on a number of commitments we have made previously.
“We welcome further engagement with our unions about fatigue and rostering across London Underground, but a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.
“Given the improvements we have recently put in place in response to concerns raised by our unions, we urge the RMT to put our fair, affordable pay offer to their members and to continue to engage with us rather than threaten strike action, which will only disrupt Londoners.”
The 3.4% offer is in line with offers accepted by RMT elsewhere in the rail sector. RMT’s strike mandate was achieved on a 57.5% turnout, before TfL’s current pay offer.
In a separate dispute over pay and conditions, workers on the Docklands Light Railway will also strike in the week beginning the 7 September.
Median pay increases, as analysed by Brightmine, have stood at 3% since December, but yesterday’s inflation figures for July 2025, showed the retail prices index, the inflation measure favoured by unions, has risen to 4.8%.
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