What is needed for next week’s London Tube strike to be called off?

The crunch time for the sweeping London Underground strike to be called off is drawing closer.

Tube strike – two words that will send a shiver down the spine of even the most seasoned commuter.

Four days of industrial action are set to go ahead next week if the Transport for London and Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union cannot solve their dispute over a Tube drivers’ condensed working week.

If it goes ahead, services on the entire Underground network will come to a standstill from Tuesday until Friday.

The thin silver lining is that the Elizabeth line, DLR, the Overground and most buses will be running business as usual – with the caveat that services will be rammed.

Demand for rental e-bikes and Santander bikes is also likely to be high as millions of people try to navigate the disruption.

With negotiations going on behind the scenes, what exactly needs to be resolved for the strike to be called off?

The crux of the dispute comes down to a condensed working week.

Tube drivers have been asked to work the hours of a five-day week within four days, which RMT labelled a ‘fake four-day week.’

This would see drivers work 35 hours in four days instead of 36 hours in five days as lunch break would not be required.

But RMT’s chief Eddie Dempsey has warned that a longer day – eight hours and 40 minutes – would lead to driver fatigue and risk safety.

Meanwhile, TfL has said the move would bring the London Underground in line with other train operators and offer train operators an additional day off.

Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, said today: ‘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. We urge the RMT to call off this action, which will disrupt Londoners, and continue to engage with us.’

There are suggestions that the parties may have made some headway in trying to resolve the stalemate.

RMT said last month it called off the March strike after London Underground ‘management have taken steps in the right direction and are now taking the matter seriously.’

In theory, there is no official cut-off point for when the strikes can be called off, so it might happen at the eleventh hour.

Last month, the strikes were officially called off six days before the planned start date.

However, TfL is likely to need enough time to sort out staffing and operations, so a final decision will have to be confirmed soon.

RMT and TfL representatives declined to comment on any progress in the negotiations when Metro approached them for an update, with TfL citing purdah, the pre-election restrictions ahead of the May local elections.

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