{"id":397725,"date":"2025-09-04T16:47:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397725\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T16:47:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:47:24","slug":"what-are-the-chances-of-the-london-underground-strikes-being-called-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/397725\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the chances of the London Underground strikes being called off?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If tube strikes go ahead there will be no service on all London Underground lines between Monday and Thursday<\/p>\n

19:54, 03 Sep 2025Updated 06:41, 04 Sep 2025<\/p>\n

\"TheStrikes will mean no service on all lines from Monday to Thursday next week(Image: Tim Grist Photography 2017\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Disruption to London’s transport network looms after the union batting for Tube drivers confirmed it is still negotiating with Transport for London<\/a>. On Wednesday afternoon (August 3), an RMT union spokesperson told MyLondon it is ‘seeking a revised offer’ and ‘strikes remain on’, hours after talks with TfL<\/a> reached an impasse over the union’s demand for 32\u2011hour week vs TfL’s 3.4 per cent pay offer.<\/p>\n

MyLondon understands the RMT has been clear it will only accept a reduction in working hours. TfL believes the reduction is unaffordable and impractical. With both sides refusing to back down, as it stands the strikes planned<\/a> from Friday (September 5) to Thursday (September 11) <\/strong>will go ahead unless a deal is reached by Friday night.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past, Tube strikes<\/a> have been called off last minute, but even if a deal is reached over the weekend, it may still be difficult to prevent disruption next week. The action will impact every Underground line, causing no service between Monday and Thursday, and limited services on Sunday. The Elizabeth line and London Overground<\/a> are not affected as the drivers are part of a different union.<\/p>\n

The RMT previously accused TfL of taking a ‘dismissive approach’ to negotiations and said management\u2019s failure to engage seriously with demands over wages, extreme shift patterns, fatigue management, and working hours has \u201cfuelled widespread anger and distrust among the workforce\u201d.<\/p>\n

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “[Members] 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 LU management.”<\/p>\n

Claire Mann (Transport for London) and Eddie Dempsey (RMT union)(Image: Getty Images\/Tfl\/RMT)Hours reduction ‘neither practical nor affordable’ – TfL<\/p>\n

In an email to all staff on Wednesday, reported by the Evening Standard<\/a>, Nick Dent, TfL\u2019s director of London Underground<\/a> customer operations, said pay budget is ‘best spent’ increasing pay rather than reducing contractual hours. TfL claims a a small reduction in contractual hours will cost the organisation tens of millions pounds, and that they have already put in measures to reduce fatigue.<\/p>\n

Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “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.”<\/p>\n

Last year the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan<\/a> prevented a walk-out with a \u00a330million deal, giving an 11 per cent boost to the lowest paid staff. Research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, carried out for the Standard, predicts next week’s strikes could cost the London economy \u00a3230m. 6,004 RMT members backed the strike, 4,200 did not vote, 209 said no, and 15 spoiled their ballot.<\/p>\n

You can read our explainer on the strikes and the key issues at stake here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Timeline of recent London transport strikes<\/p>\n