London Tube Strikes: Eight 24-Hour Walkouts Threaten Christmas and New Year Travel

Eight 24-hour strikes by London Underground drivers threaten to disrupt Christmas and New Year travel across the capital, with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announcing walkouts between November 2026 and February 2027. The strikes are scheduled to begin at noon on Nov. 26, followed by further action on Dec. 17 and 19, Jan. 4 and 6, and Feb. 17, 23 and 25, 2027. Each walkout will last 24 hours.

The December walkouts coincide with the Christmas trading season, when retailers, hospitality businesses and other employers rely on public transport to bring customers and staff into central London. Ed Richardson, transport programme director at BusinessLDN, said the strikes “will not bring any festive cheer to Londoners and visitors who rely on the Tube to get around the city,” urging both sides to reach an agreement urgently.

RMT Disputes London’s Proposed Four-Day Working Week

The RMT says the industrial action is in response to plans to introduce a “so-called voluntary four-day working week alongside a new Trains Modernisation Framework.” The union argues that the proposals involve changes beyond the introduction of a shorter working week.

It claims drivers could face longer periods operating trains, earlier starts, later finishes and more unpredictable shifts. It has also raised concerns about changes to established transfer rights and annual leave arrangements.

Dempsey said London Underground is “attempting to dress up a wholesale attack on drivers’ working conditions as a voluntary four-day week,” adding that the RMT is “not opposed to a genuine four-day working week that benefits our members, but we will not accept it being used as a vehicle for job cuts, intensified working and the erosion of terms and conditions.” The RMT has stated that its members are “determined to defend their jobs, working conditions and the safety of the Underground.”

RMT and ASLEF Divided Over Four-Day Working Week

The dispute has exposed a public division between the two unions representing London Underground drivers. The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), whose members also drive Tube trains, said it was “surprised” that the RMT is opposing what it describes as a voluntary arrangement.

ASLEF’s London Underground organiser, Finn Brennan, told the BBC, “We are surprised that the RMT has, once again, decided to take strike action to try to prevent Underground drivers moving to a four-day week on a voluntary basis.”

According to ASLEF, the arrangement gives drivers an extra 35 days off every year under rosters based on a 34-hour week, in exchange for transitioning to electronic rather than paper-based systems for booking on for duty. Brennan added, “A strike designed to stop people having the choice of a shorter working week and more time off is a strange choice to make.”

The disagreement centres on whether the proposed arrangement offers drivers greater flexibility and additional time off or risks changes to established working conditions and safety arrangements.

TfL’s Four-Day Working Week Proposal

Transport for London (TfL) plans to pilot the four-day working week on the Bakerloo line before considering its introduction across other lines. A four-day arrangement is already in place on the London Overground and Elizabeth line. A TfL spokesperson previously said the changes would be voluntary and that drivers who wish to continue a five-day pattern would be able to do so.

The RMT has opposed the proposals since at least March 2026, when it announced strike action over what it described as an attempt to compress a normal working week into four days. In its March announcement, the union raised concerns about shift lengths, working-time arrangements, transfer and allocation processes, and the potential impact on fatigue and safety.

The dispute has continued despite earlier attempts to resolve the differences between the union and London Underground management. No negotiated settlement has been announced. Unless the two sides reach an agreement, the eight planned walkouts could affect London Underground services during the Christmas and New Year travel period and continue into February 2027.