Rush hour chaos for tens of millions as militant union bosses finish Tube strike: Several traces nonetheless closely disrupted after strike towards four-day week

A 24-hour strike on the London Underground has caused chaos for commuters across the capital again today – with militant union bosses threatening further carnage tomorrow.

Members of the RMT union walked out at 12pm yesterday amid claims Transport for London is trying to force workers into taking a ‘fake’ four-day week they do not want.

But the deal has the support of a rival trade union, which has accused the RMT of striking ‘against a shorter week and fewer days at work’.

The strike officially ended at 12pm but London Underground lines remain severely disrupted several hours on as the network struggles to return to normal. 

Unless the union and Transport for London bosses agree to further talks, another 24-hour strike is set to begin at 12pm on Thursday, guaranteeing further chaos for miserable commuters.

Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives‘ City Hall group, told the Mail today of the strikes: ‘This is going to damage the tourist trade even more, while Sadiq Khan sits in his chauffeur-driven car.

‘He doesn’t understand how it is for the people trying to get to work, earning a lot less than these Tube drivers.

‘The unions are so used to striking they will find any reason to do so, it appears, knowing this Government will give them anything they want.

‘There is no way Labour is on the side of working people, otherwise it would be doing what it can to make sure they can get to work.’ 

The strikes have forced the hands of City firms that usually demand workers come into the office, with some telling workers they can stay at home.

And commuters deprived of their usual Tube line have taken to the buses and the roads in droves as they try to find other means of getting to work.

Live cycle data from Camden Council suggests more than 10,000 people cycled through Bloomsbury Way in the heart of the West End yesterday, up 75 per cent on the daily average.

And transport hire app Voi, which has some 4,000 e-bikes and thousands of e-scooters in London, says it saw a 52 per cent increase in the number of rides taken on its vehicles, as well as a 110 per cent spike in new users. 

Commuters were seen squeezing their way onto buses last night and this morning, while oher TfL services such as the Elizabeth Line, London Overground and the DLR are also unaffected by the action, but were expected to be busier than normal. 

The chaos will continue again from tomorrow, when RMT workers walk out once more from 12pm on Thursday for another 24 hours.

Most lines will be affected, and any services that do run will only run until 8pm on Thursday. People are advised to make alternative plans for travel.

Four further strikes have been threatened in May and June if negotiations fail, and come just a few months after strikes in September crippled the capital.

Workers at Amazon normally expected to travel into the City have spent today at home, the Financial Times reported, while JP Morgan bankers have reportedly been told to negotiate with managers over working their shifts from the dining table.

The row stems from a bid by Transport for London to introduce a voluntary four-day week. At present, Tube drivers work a minimum 35-hour week, spread over five days, with unpaid lunch breaks.

Under the new deal, drivers would be able to compress that into a four-day week with three days off. They would also be paid for their lunch breaks. 

But the RMT claims the deal would bring about a risk of driver fatigue because they would be working longer shifts of more than eight hours at a time. 

The union also believes that TfL will eventually make the four-day arrangement compulsory – a charge it denies – and wants to see the number of hours cut from 35 to 32 without a cut in pay.

A Tube driver earns around £71,170 per year as a base salary, with total earnings often reaching £75,000 to £80,000 when overtime and allowances are included.

Most are enrolled into the TfL pension fund, which requires drivers to pay in 5 per cent of their salary for an employer contributions of more than 33 per cent. 

Other perks include free TfL travel and 75 per cent off train season tickets.

Most Tube lines are semi-automated, where trains run between stations automatically. Drivers are responsible for operating the doors and emergency systems.

Trade union official official Jared Wood previously told the Press Association that the dispute was also about other issues, including changes to annual leave.

The RMT has previously accused TfL of reneging on promises to negotiate in ‘good faith’. 

Mr Wood added: ‘There is absolute unanimity among our members that we have to fight these proposals.’

However, TfL’s proposal has been backed by rival trade union Aslef, which also represents Tube drivers.

It has previously described the RMT’s action as the first strike in trade union history ‘designed to stop people having a shorter working week and more time off’. 

TfL says the plan would bring Tube drivers’ working conditions into line with those of mainline train firms and give them greater flexibility.

Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, said: ‘We have set out proposals to the RMT for a four-day working week.

‘This allows us to offer train operators an additional day off, whilst at the same time bringing London Underground in line with the working patterns of other train operating companies, improving reliability and flexibility at no additional cost.

‘The changes would be voluntary, there would be no reduction in contractual hours and those who wish to continue a five-day working week pattern would be able to do so.’

Elsewhere, seven bus services operated by Stagecoach will also be hampered by industrial action later this week. 

Drivers affiliated with Unite are striking between 5am on Friday April 24 and 5am Saturday April 25 in a dispute over conditions, with another strike threatened in May.

The walkout will hit the 8, 25, 205, 425, N8, N25 and N205 services, with 300 drivers expected to take part.