London Underground staff to strike as ASLEF and RMT announce industrial action

London Underground passengers face a week of disruption next month when staff from two unions go on strike. 

Both ASLEF and the RMT have announced industrial action in a row over pay. 

Members of the drivers’ union will walk out on November 7 and 12 with overtime bans from November 3-16, while RMT staff will take part in eight days of strike action from Friday November 1- Friday November 8. 

The full list of walkouts is: 

• November 1-2: ASLEF engineering drivers will not book on between 1800 on November 1 and 1759 on November 2. An overtime ban will be in place from 0001 on November 1 to 2359 on November 8. 
• November 1-2: RMT maintenance and engineering vehicle operations staff will strike from 1800 on November 1 until 1759 on November 2, with no overtime until November 8 
• November 3-4: RMT track access controllers, control centre and power/control staff will strike for 24 hours from 1859 on November 3 
• November 4: RMT emergency response unit staff will strike for 24 hours from 0001 
• November 5: RMT fleet, engineering, stations and trains staff (except ERU and engineering vehicle operations and maintenance) will strike for 24 hours from 0001 
• November 6-8: RMT signallers and service controllers will strike for 24 hours from 0001 on November 6, with more action planned on the following two days 
• November 7: ASLEF train operators and instructor operators will not book on for duty between 0001 and 2359 
• November 12: ASLEF train operators and instructor operators will not book on for duty between 0001 and 2359 

Officials from both unions have cited pay as the reason for the industrial action. 

Finn Brennan, ASLEF’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said the union had been “forced into this position because LU management won’t sit down properly and negotiate”. 

Officials from the drivers’ union say the strikes come six months after a pay agreement should have been implemented. 

Brennan said: “Our members voted by over 98% in favour of strike action, but Underground management are still refusing to even discuss key elements of our claim. They refuse to discuss any reduction in the working week or introducing paid meal relief to bring Underground drivers in line with those on the Elizebeth line and London Overground.  

“The pay offer of 3.8%, plus a variable lump sum, means Underground drivers will stay on a lower salary than drivers on other TfL services while working longer hours. It also means driving grades will receive a lower pay rise than other grades.  

“Underground management insists that any changes to pay ranges will be entirely at management discretion – effectively removing the union’s right to negotiate for our members in future. And management still refuses to commit to making changes to working arrangements and conditions, including pensions, only through agreement.” 

ASLEF had a 68% turnout, with 98.8% of those voting for action compared to 1.2% against. 

Meanwhile, the RMT has rejected a “wholly inadequate” pay offer. 

General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “London Underground’s pay offer falls short of what our members deserve. It  threatens to remove collective bargaining for a growing portion of staff, pushing them into pay bands that are decided solely by management. This undermines our members’ rights and the core principles of fair negotiation.  

"No trade union can accept any pay proposal where management decide which of our members gets a pay rise and those who do not.  

“We have repeatedly urged London Underground to offer a deal that ensures all staff are covered by collective bargaining, yet management remains fixated on imposing pay structures without our agreement.” 

RMT turnout was 55.45% with 96.41% supporting strike action and 3.59% voting against.

In response, a Transport for London spokeswoman said: "It is disappointing that ASLEF and the RMT have announced industrial action following our recent discussions over pay, terms and conditions. We have held several constructive discussions with our trade unions and, after considering their feedback, have made a revised offer with an average uplift of 4.6%, which rewards our staff for their hard work and benefits the lowest-paid staff the most.

"We are engaging with our unions in good faith, having increased our offer since talks began, and have invited our unions to meet again next week. Our offer is fair for our people and affordable for London, and we urge our unions to continue working with us to support London and the wider economy.”