London Underground strikes are an intermittent part of life in the capital of the United Kingdom. Described as "one of Britain's most strike-prone industries",[1] the London Underground has been subject to travel disruption due to industrial action organised by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and other unions, in response to disputes over job reductions, pensions, pay, safety, and working conditions.
As of 21 July 2023, London Underground strikes were called off after originally being planned for the following week.[2]
Transport for London is the umbrella government body that operates the London Underground,[3] through its subsidiary, London Underground Limited (LUL).[4]
The largest union of Tube workers is the RMT. The others are the Aslef, the train drivers' union, and the TSSA, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association.
The Tube strike on 10 November 2022 may have cost London's economy £14 million in lost output, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research. An estimated 78,000 commuters whose physical presence is required at work were unable to travel.[5]
During the rail strike on 19 August 2022, more London commuters went to work compared to previous strike days.[6] They cycled or took buses and trains, including the Elizabeth Line. The London Cycle Hire Scheme has provided an alternative means of transport during Tube strikes, but quickly reaches capacity during peak travel times.[7]
As of 7 December 2022, a bill requiring minimum levels of service to be maintained on transport networks during strikes had been introduced to Parliament, but had not yet been debated.[8]
From 2000 to 2008, the RMT balloted for industrial action at least 50 times, resulting in member votes for strike action on 18 occasions. Overall, there were 30 separate strikes during this period.
| Start | End | Participants | Nature of dispute | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-09-06 17:00, 2100 BST[9] | 2010-09-07 2100 BST | RMT, TSSA[10] | Removal of 800 safety-critical jobs. "RMT are up in arms at TfL's attempts to get volunteers to help people's travel plans."[11] | [12] "Boris Bikes part of plans to mitigate effects of London tube strike".[13] | |
| 2010-10-03 1830 BST[14] | 2010-10-04 1900 BST | RMT, TSSA | 800 job losses[15] | 24-hour strike, during which TfL claimed 40% of services were running; union leaders asked Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene | |
| 2010-11-28 | 2010-11-29[16] | RMT, TSSA | LU cutting 800 jobs, largely ticket office staff; unions say staff cuts affect safety and ability to combat crime, terrorism[17] | Fourth in a series of one-day strikes | |
| 2011-06-19 2100 BST | 2011-06-20 0300 BST | RMT | Sacking of Northern Line driver Arwyn Thomas; LU claimed it was due to abusive behaviour toward colleagues, while RMT claimed it was punitive for being a union activist[18] | First of four planned walkouts; only six hours long, it led to accusations that RMT was staging "pointless" strikes to enable further strikes; on 22 June 2011, a tribunal ruled that the sacking was unfair;[19] on 24 June 2011, further strikes cancelled after London Underground reinstated the Tube driver at the centre of the dispute[20] | |
| 2014-02-04 | 2014-02-06 | RMT, TSSA | Protest against plans to cut 750 jobs, automate ticket sales, close ticket offices[21] | Two-thirds of services halted during 48-hour strike;[22] second 48-hour strike called off | |
| 2014-04-28 | 2014-04-302100 BST | RMT | Plans to close all ticket offices and loss of 960 jobs[23] | Network-wide closure; per London Underground, 52% of services were running on 30 April 2014 | |
| 2016-12-24 | 2016-12-25 | RMT | Tube station staffing and impact on safety after cutting 900 front-line jobs and closing ticket offices;[24] per TFL, "Christmas and New Year Working" | Called off on 22 December 2016,[25] but Hammersmith & City and District Lines were closed | |
| 2017-01-08 1800 GMT | 2017-01-09 1800 GMT | RMT | In response to the cutting of 900 station jobs;[26] per TfL, "Station Staffing and Safety Arrangements"[27] | "This action has been forced on us by savage cuts to jobs that have reduced London Underground to an under-staffed death trap at a time of heightened security and safety alert." | |
| 2022-06-06 | 2022-06-07 0800 BST | RMT on some lines | Jobs and pensions[28] | Complete suspension of Piccadilly Line; Bakerloo and Jubilee Lines remained open; other lines reported closed despite TfL claiming "good service" elsewhere[29] | |
| 2022-06-21 | 2022-06-22 | RMT | Compulsory redundancies and pensions[30] | Timed to coincide with the first of three National Rail strike days; some reduction in TfL service on the other days where track is shared | |
| 2022-08-19 | 2022-08-20 0800 BST | RMT, Unite | Pensions, jobs, and working conditions[31] | Timed to coincide with major industrial action by 40,000 RMT members working for Network Rail and 14 train operators on 18 and 20 August 2022[32] | |
| 2022-11-10 | 2022-11-11 | RMT, Unite | Jobs and pensions[33] | Nine out of eleven London Underground stations closed; Central and Northern Lines partially open | |
| 2022-11-25 | 2022-11-25 | RMT at some Tube stations | Reduction of 600 station staff jobs[34] | Some stations opened later or closed earlier, including Euston, Green Park, Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Hatton Cross, Hounslow West, King's Cross St Pancras, and Victoria | |
| 2023-03-15 | 2023-03-18 | RMT at all the Tube stations | Thousands of union staff walked out in a dispute over pensions and working arrangements. | All stations were closed. | |
| 2024-01-05 | 2024-01-11 | RMT | Below-inflation pay increase of 5%[35] |