Tube passengers face ‘restricted or no service’ on Tuesdays to Fridays on strike weeks as Sadiq Khan praises RMT as ‘good commerce union’
The London Underground faces widespread closures and severe disruption from Tuesday to Friday during strike weeks, as Mayor Sadiq Khan sparked controversy by defending the RMT as a ‘good trade union’.
This comes after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) announced they will walk out over the next few months at midday on March 24 and 26, April 21 and 23 and May 19 and 21 in a controversial dispute over hours.
Aslef, Britain’s other primary rail union, condemned the RMT after the latter confirmed London Underground drivers would stage a series of 24-hour strikes.
Khan told the Standard – ‘Like with any differences there are between employers and employees represented by a good trade union, the best way to resolve them is amicably, by getting round the table rather than going on strike.’
The London Underground faces a ‘limited or no service’ from Tuesday mornings through Friday afternoons across three strike weeks, as the rolling midday-to-midday walkouts are expected to trigger significant disruption over four consecutive days.
The RMT said 1,800 of its members were involved in the dispute with Transport for London (TfL) over the introduction of a compressed four-day working week.
The London Underground’s 3,600 drivers, divided roughly equally between the two unions, currently earn approximately £75,000 per year for a 35-hour, five-day week.
Jared Wood, the RMT’s London regional transport organiser, told BBC Radio London on Wednesday: ‘It’s not in the interests of Tube drivers. It is going to result in more intensive working. It’s all part of London Underground trying to deliver so-called cost savings, which in reality is the demand for them to produce a massive surplus for [TFL].’
Sir Sadiq Khan has urged the RMT union not to press ahead with a Tube strike that could cause three weeks of chaos for passengers. (Pictured: Sir Sadiq Khan attends a private view of ‘Tracey Amin: A Second Life’ at Tate Modern)
The picket line outside the closed gates at one of the entrances for King’s Cross St Pancras Underground station during a strike by the RMT union on September 8 last year
Passengers outside London Liverpool Street station during the RMT strike in September 2025
Drivers rejected the plans in a referendum amid fears over shift lengths, working time arrangements and the potential impact on fatigue and safety, according to the RMT.
But TfL’s proposals have been backed by train drivers’ union Aslef which supports the plan for extra days off and pointed out that the changes will remain voluntary.
Finn Brennan, a district organiser in London for Aslef, told the Guardian: ‘It will be the first time in the history of the trade union movement that a union has voted to strike against a shorter week and fewer days at work.’
Last April, Aslef members on the Tube voted in favour of moving to a four-day working week, with the union saying this January that it would be the ‘biggest improvement in working conditions for Underground train drivers in decades’.
Aslef bosses believe the change will mean an extra 35 days away from work every year – the equivalent of more than an extra month off – and an undisturbed meal break counted as part of drivers’ working hours for the first time in over 30 years.
But Mr Brennan previously claimed the RMT has ‘opposed every improvement ever negotiated for train drivers’, adding that they were ‘against additional payments for Night Tube shifts and even called strikes to try to stop them‘.
Aslef also accused the RMT of having ‘refused to support drivers’ successful action to win payments for Boxing Day’ and ‘even opposed the extra payments drivers received for working during the 2012 Olympics’.
It added: ‘Now they want a strike to stop you being able to volunteer to work a four-day week with no loss of pay.’
But the RMT claimed yesterday that its union representatives have ‘attempted to resolve the situation over several months’ and accused TfL of having ‘refused to negotiate, pushing ahead with the unpopular plan without an agreement with RMT’.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: ‘London Underground is trying to force through major changes to working patterns that have already been rejected by our members.
‘We are clear that these proposals raise serious concerns around fatigue, safety and work-life balance.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said members have ‘serious concerns’ about the plans
Cyclists on Bridge Street in Westminster last September during the last RMT Tube strike
‘Despite our best efforts over many months, no satisfactory outcome has been reached so we have no choice but to call strike dates.
‘There is still time for London Underground to come up with a workable solution but we will take strike action if we cannot get a negotiated settlement.’
The union said its members were being told to no longer use any electronic devices issued by TfL including iPads from March 21 until further notice.
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘We shared our proposal for a four-day working week with our trade unions last year. Since then, we have been engaging with them on how best to implement the new working pattern.
‘We have started talking with our unions about how to implement a four-day working week for train drivers on the Bakerloo line only.
‘These threatened strikes are completely unnecessary and will have a serious impact on London’s businesses and commuters and we urge them to call off this action.
‘The changes would be voluntary, there will be no reduction in contractual hours and those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern will be able to do so.
‘These changes will help us to improve reliability, improve our ability to flexibly deploy our drivers and enable us to offer a modern and efficient service while creating no additional cost.’
RMT regional organiser Mr. Wood challenged TfL’s claim that the proposed four-day week would be voluntary.
‘It’s not voluntary – this is the problem. When we have said to London Underground: ‘Does that mean anyone not working the new arrangements can carry on on the old ones, whatever line they are on?’, they say they can’t answer that.’
Muniya Barua, deputy chief executive at the BusinessLDN group, told the Daily Mail: ‘The prospect of further strikes over the coming months will be very frustrating for Londoners and visitors that rely on the Tube to get around the city.
‘It will be particularly concerning for business that rely on people visiting in person, particularly sectors such as hospitality, retail and culture. We urge both sides to reach an agreement urgently and avoid these damaging strikes.’
It comes after the RMT staged a week-long strike last September across the Underground network relating to pay, working conditions and safety concerns. These were the first walkouts since various other Tube strikes happened in 2023 and 2022.
