REMINDER: RMT urged to suspend strike action on the Tube with customers advised to check before they travel

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Transport for London (TfL) is urging the RMT union to suspend its planned strike action and put TfL’s fair, affordable pay offer to its members. TfL is working hard to resolve the dispute, but if it goes ahead, customers are urged to check before they travel ahead of the planned strike action - with TfL operating as many services as possible.

Strike action affecting the London Underground has been called between Sunday 7 September and Thursday 11 September. If the RMT union refuses to suspend the strike action and put the offer to its members, there is expected to be severe disruption - with little to no service on all London Underground lines between Monday 8 and Thursday 11 September, and limited services across the network on Sunday 7 September.

This dispute centres around the RMT’s demands for a shorter working week. London Underground staff currently work 35-hour weeks, and the RMT has made clear it will only accept a deal that sees a reduction in working hours. Any reduction in working hours is impractical and absolutely unaffordable, with costs that could run into the hundreds of millions of pounds.

TfL has also offered to engage with the RMT and its other unions about managing fatigue across London Underground, with several options discussed. However, the RMT has made clear that it believes a reduction in time at work is the only way to deal with this issue, including as little as a 30-minute reduction in the working week. Aside from the financial concerns, TfL does not believe that reducing the working day by six minutes will make an appreciable difference to fatigue and urges the RMT to work with it on things that could make a tangible difference to staff.

TfL has made a fair offer of a 3.4 per cent pay increase for all London Underground staff, in line with February RPI. This follows pay rises in previous years that have seen pay increase by around 25 per cent since 2020. The RMT launched its ballot before TfL had made any offer and achieved a 57.5 per cent mandate for strike action. TfL is therefore urging the union to put the full offer to its members, so that they can have their say.

With the impact of the strike varying each day, customers are advised to visit tfl.gov.uk/strikes for the latest information.

Claire Mann, TfL's Chief Operating Officer, said: “We call on the RMT to suspend this action, put our fair and affordable offer to their members and continue discussions with us. Our pay deal is in line with other offers accepted by the RMT across the rail industry, so it is disappointing the RMT is planning to disrupt Londoners without giving their members a say on the offer.

“We remain open for discussions about any part of our offer, and we are committed to making sure our colleagues are treated fairly. We welcome further engagement from all of our unions about managing fatigue across the network, but a reduction in the contractual 35-hour working week is neither practical nor affordable.

“If this strike action goes ahead, customers should check before they travel, as on some days during the strike there will be little to no service.”

DLR services will also be impacted by separate strike action, with no service on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 September. The DLR will run a full service on all other days, although where stations are shared with London Underground services there may still be some disruption.

There is also separate strike action on bus services operated by First Bus between Friday 12 – Sunday 14 September, which may affect bus services in west, northwest and southwest London.

Other TfL services - including the Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Trams - will be running but will be extremely busy and may operate differently. While these services are expected to run, the closure of Tube stations may mean some services will be unable to stop at all stations or run to their normal destination, particularly at the start and end of service.

As customers seek alternative routes to travelling on London Underground, other transport services and roads are likely to be extremely busy and subject to delay. Customers who need to travel are advised to plan ahead, and to consider walking and cycling where possible. If using public transport, customers should check before they travel and allow extra time to complete their journey.

Expected service during the action

The anticipated impact of strike action on London Underground services is as follows:

• Sunday 7 September – Disruption expected across London Underground, with limited services operating. Services that do run will close earlier than normal with customers advised that all journeys should be complete by 18:00
• Monday 8 to Thursday 11 September – Little or no service expected across London Underground. Any services that do run will start later than usual with no service before 08:00. Customers are advised to complete their journeys by 18:00
• Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 September – No service expected on the DLR
• Friday 12 September – No service before 08:00, with a good service on all lines expected by late morning