Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
London Underground passengers face a wave of disruption next month after two transport unions announced strikes in disputes over pay.
The Aslef union on Wednesday said drivers would walk out on Thursday November 7 and Tuesday November 12, while the RMT union set out a series of stoppages by other staff between November 1 and November 8.
The strikes will be the first by drivers since March 2022. Such walkouts typically close most, if not all, of the London Underground network, which carries about 4mn passengers on the busiest weekdays.
Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said members had rejected an offer for 2024 of a 3.8 per cent pay rise, plus a “variable lump sum” payment, made by Transport for London, the capital’s transport authority.
He said the offer meant London Underground drivers would “stay on a lower salary than drivers on other TfL services while working longer hours”.
London Underground drivers earn between roughly £64,000 and £67,000 a year, according to TfL figures released in 2023, but many take home more because of paid overtime.
A separate dispute over pay and working conditions between Aslef and train operators on the national rail network dragged on for two years, causing extended disruption to passengers.
But the strikes in London could be called off at late notice if TfL, which operates the Underground, reaches a last-minute deal with the union.
“Sadly, it is clear, once again, that Underground management will only get serious about reaching a settlement if there is the prospect of strike action,” Brennan said.
The RMT’s planned strike between November 1 and November 8 will involve staff working in different positions walking out on different days.
Its walkout is also likely to cause disruption, but TfL has typically managed to operate some services during RMT stoppages, which involve workers other than drivers, such as engineering and station staff.
The worst disruption is likely to be on November 3 and 4, when control centre staff strike, and November 6 through to November 8 when signallers walk out.
Mick Lynch, the union’s general secretary, said RMT members had been “left with no choice” but to strike because TfL’s pay offer fell “short of what [they] deserve”.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality, called the planned walkouts “incredibly disappointing”, and warned that they would “have a significant impact on London hospitality and tourism businesses”.
TfL said the planned strikes were “disappointing” and that, when cash payments were taken into account, the pay offer for both unions amounted to an average rise of 4.6 per cent.
“We are engaging with our unions in good faith, having increased our offer since talks began, and have invited our unions to meet again next week,” it said.