The London Underground is braced for a week of chaos next month as thousands of staff walk out in a fresh dispute over pay and working conditions.
The RMT union confirmed that a series of rolling strikes will begin on September 5, involving signallers, engineers and service control staff across multiple Tube lines. Drivers are not included in the action, but disruption to services is expected to be widespread.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said members were striking in response to years of fatigue, unsocial shift patterns and what they regard as inadequate pay. “Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving,” he said. “They’re not after a king’s ransom, but fatigue and extreme shift rotations are serious issues impacting on their health and wellbeing – all of which London Underground management has failed to address.”
The union has rejected a 3.4% pay rise offered by London Underground, arguing that it falls short of inflation and ignores wider concerns about working hours. RMT balloted more than 10,000 members, with around 6,000 voting in favour of strike action.
City Hall urged both sides to avoid disruption. A spokesman for Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Nobody wants to see strike action or disruption for Londoners. The mayor urges the RMT and TfL to get around the table to resolve this matter.”
TfL, which employs around 28,000 staff, insisted its offer was fair and affordable. A spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring colleagues are treated fairly and, as well as offering a 3.4% pay increase, we have made progress on concerns about fatigue and rostering. But a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.”
The timing of the strikes will cause maximum disruption. They coincide with Coldplay’s sold-out Wembley Stadium finale, the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, Post Malone’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium performance and a full fixture list of Premier League and Women’s Super League football.
Business groups and opposition politicians have warned of the economic fallout. Keith Prince, London Assembly Conservatives’ transport spokesman, said: “London will be thrown into chaos by these strikes, putting jobs and our economy at risk. TfL must resolve this before it takes place.”
With Britain already losing more than 280,000 working days to strikes in the first half of the year, the announcement piles further pressure on the Labour Government, which pledged to bring stability to industrial relations after inflation-busting public sector pay deals.
