Planned strikes by London Underground drivers this week have been suspended following last-minute discussions between Transport for London and the RMT union.
The industrial action, which had been expected to cause severe disruption across the capital over four days, was due to begin with two separate 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday.
The RMT confirmed the strikes had been called off after what it described as a significant shift in the employer’s position regarding concerns over new working arrangements.
Union Says Dispute Is Not Resolved
An RMT spokesperson said the suspension would allow further discussions around issues including driver fatigue, safety and proposed new rosters linked to a planned four-day working week.
“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 union said.
However, the RMT warned that the wider dispute remains unresolved and additional strike action could still take place if negotiations fail to produce sufficient progress.
Future strikes previously scheduled for 16 and 18 June have now been provisionally moved to Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June.
TfL Defends Four-Day Week Proposal
Transport for London said its proposed four-day week model would operate on a voluntary basis and is intended to improve both working conditions and service reliability.
Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, welcomed the suspension of industrial action.
“We are pleased that RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week. This is good news for London,” Dent said.
He added that TfL looks forward to continuing discussions with trade unions regarding implementation of the proposals.
The rival union Aslef, which represents a slight majority of Tube drivers, has already endorsed the four-day week proposal.
Major Travel Disruption Avoided
Before the suspension was announced, TfL had warned passengers to expect significant disruption across the Underground network.
Officials had said many lines would see severely reduced services, while some routes could have faced complete shutdowns during the strike period.
The planned walkouts would have followed a similar round of disruption caused by Tube strikes earlier in April.
The last-minute breakthrough now means London Underground services are expected to operate normally this week while negotiations continue between TfL and the RMT.
