The Rail, Maritime and Transport union suspended a wave of Tube driver strikes just hours before they were set to begin Tuesday, after Transport for London shifted its negotiating position in last-minute talks.
Drivers had been scheduled to walk out for 24-hour stoppages on Tuesday and Thursday in a dispute over proposed roster changes tied to a voluntary four-day compressed workweek. The planned action would have halted service on the Circle and Piccadilly lines entirely, as well as parts of the Metropolitan and Central lines.
On Monday, the RMT 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." Transport for London called the suspension "good news for London." Industrial action previously scheduled for June 16 and 18 has been cancelled, but the union has called fresh strikes for June 2 and 4.
The RMT was clear the dispute is not resolved. The union warned that "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, welcomed the development. "We are pleased that RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week," he said. "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."
The dispute has exposed a sharp divide between two major unions. The Aslef train drivers' union accepted the proposals and described them as "exactly the sort of deal every trade union should be trying to achieve." Aslef said the arrangement gives participating drivers an extra 35 days off a year "in return for some fairly minor changes to working conditions."
The RMT holds a different view. The union branded the voluntary proposals a "fake four-day week that amounts to five days' work compressed into four," pointing to concerns about reduced flexibility, longer shift lengths, and fatigue as a safety issue.
Ed Richardson, programme director for transport at BusinessLDN, said the short-term damage was already done. "Many firms will already have lost out through cancelled bookings and reservations so it's now vital that both sides come to a longer-term resolution," he said. With London heading into summer, he added, avoiding further strikes would be vital to keeping the city's economy moving.
The next round of talks between the RMT and Transport for London is expected before the June 2 strike date.
