Tube drivers to stage strikes in Christmas run-up

London Underground drivers are to stage a series of 24-hour strikes in a long-running dispute over working arrangements, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced. Further strikes are planned for 17 December, 19 December, 4 January, 6 January, 17 February, 23 February and 25 February.

The union says drivers will face longer hours behind the wheel and longer days, but Transport for London (TfL) previously said its proposal for a four-day working week was voluntary and would mean drivers work fewer hours overall. A series of strikes in the spring over the same issue caused significant disruption across the network, with some lines being entirely closed.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "London Underground is attempting to dress up a wholesale attack on drivers' working conditions as a voluntary four-day week. "But there is nothing voluntary about a scheme that forces drivers to give up existing protections whether they work four days or five, and threatens those who refuse with displacement from their depots.