London Tube strikes set next week
London Underground drivers are due to start a wave of industrial action next week, with the first major walkout scheduled to begin on April 21. Coverage from The Independent and Time Out says RMT members will stage strikes across April, May and June — Time Out notes six days of action in total and the Standard warns of four days of severe disruption next week including impacts on Overground and buses (independent.co.uk, timeout.com, standard.co.uk).
London Underground drivers are due to begin strike action on Tuesday, April 21, with Transport for London warning of significant disruption across the network next week. (tfl.gov.uk) Transport for London says the walkouts are planned for 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 to 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, and again from 12 p.m. Thursday, April 23 to 12 p.m. Friday, April 24. The agency has also listed four more strike windows in May and June: May 19-20, May 21-22, June 16-17 and June 18-19. (tfl.gov.uk) The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the dispute is over London Underground’s plan to introduce a compressed four-day working week for Tube drivers. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said on March 10 that management was trying to impose changes “already rejected” by members. (rmt.org.uk) This round of action was not the union’s first plan for spring. RMT suspended strikes scheduled for March after saying London Underground had made progress in talks, but it said the dispute itself was still unresolved. (rmt.org.uk) Transport for London says it is still in talks with the union and will run as many services as possible if the strikes go ahead. Its strikes page says disruption will continue into the afternoons and evenings of strike days, even though each stoppage officially starts and ends at midday. (tfl.gov.uk) The expected impact next week is broader than the strike hours alone because London’s rail timetable does not reset instantly after a walkout. TfL has told passengers to check its strikes page and journey planner before traveling. (tfl.gov.uk) Separate bus disruption is also planned in east London. TfL said seven Stagecoach routes from Bow garage — 8, 25, 205, 425, N8, N25 and N205 — face strike action from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, April 17, Friday, April 24 and Friday, May 1, while other bus routes are expected to run as usual. (tfl.gov.uk) For passengers, the immediate question is whether the whole Tube will shut. Time Out reported that the entire London Underground is expected to be shut from Tuesday to Friday next week, while TfL’s own guidance is more cautious and says it will operate as many services as possible, with significant disruption likely. (timeout.com, tfl.gov.uk) Unless the dispute is settled in the next few days, London commuters are heading into a four-day stretch in which midday walkouts could disrupt journeys well beyond the formal strike windows. (tfl.gov.uk, rmt.org.uk)
