London Tube strikes called off at the last minute

The Tube strikes planned for tomorrow and Thursday by London Underground drivers have been called off, the RMT union has announced.

The strikes were planned over an ongoing dispute between the union and London Underground bosses over Tube drivers’ condensed working hours.

The first walkout was planned to run from 12 pm on Tuesday, May 19, until midday, Wednesday, May 20.

The second would have begun on midday, Thursday, May 21, and ended at midday on Friday, May 22.

Further strikes scheduled for June 16 and 18 have also been called off.

New strike dates have been slated for Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4.

A union spokesperson said: ‘At the 11th hour, the employer has shifted its position, allowing us to further explore our members’ concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.

‘The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.’

Nick Dent, director of customer operations for London Underground, said: ‘We are pleased that RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week. This is good news for London.’

TfL has proposed to condense drivers’ five-day working week into four days of longer shifts, which RMT said would have consequences for drivers’ welfare – sparking the strike action.

Jared Wood, RMT’s London lead, previously told Metro that under the changes, a driver could, in theory, start work at 3.45am and drive for five hours, then have a half-hour break before driving again for a maximum of 9.5 hours.

TfL said it would never bring in measures that would compromise safety, and added that the proposed changes would bring it in line with the shift patterns of national rail operators.

Dent added: ‘Our proposal for a voluntary four-day week is designed to improve both work-life balance for drivers and the reliability of service for customers. We look forward to further discussions on the implementation of these proposals with all of our trade unions.’

Last month, the RMT held two other walkout days, which saw crowded roads, queues for buses, and chaos on the Overground.

The majority of London Underground lines were listed as disrupted or suspended, which pushed Londoners to find alternative means of transport like bicycles, Ubers, and good old-fashioned walking.

During the same walkouts, small businesses around Liverpool Street station told Metro that they had struggled on the first day of the Tube strike as their income fell.

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