The Tube, London's subway, is experiencing transport chaos as service on some lines has been suspended due to a drivers' strike.
According to the BBC and other foreign media on the 22nd, Britain's subway union and authorities clashed over introducing a four-day workweek, leading to a strike by workers. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents about half of subway drivers, began striking on the 21st in opposition to the authorities' proposal to shift to a four-day workweek. RMT is Britain's largest union, including not only drivers but a range of roles such as station operations and maintenance.
RMT is challenging the work pattern as the basis for the strike. Transport for London (TfL), the management side, proposed reducing the standard 36-hour workweek to 35 hours while compressing the current five-day schedule into four days, with existing pay maintained. By introducing paid meal breaks, the contractual hours would be maintained while reducing the number of working days, which it said would secure flexibility and efficiency without additional expense.
RMT, meanwhile, demanded a 32-hour workweek based on five days, while maintaining existing pay, instead of the work pattern proposed by management. RMT said the management proposal could raise labor intensity each day and create safety risks.
In the end, with the sides far apart and tensions escalating, the dispute led to a subway strike. According to TfL, as of the 22nd some subway lines have been completely suspended. The Metropolitan line is running limited service during certain hours while suspending some sections, but with longer intervals between trains, severe delays are occurring on many lines, especially during rush hour. Foreign media said delays could continue throughout the week, and there is a possibility of up to six 24-hour, all-day strikes through June. However, other modes of transport not participating in the strike, such as buses and trams, are operating normally.
TfL moved quickly to placate the union. It urged an end to the strike and continued talks, calling the plan a realistic alternative that can secure both service reliability and work flexibility without additional expense, while explaining that the proposed work pattern is optional and that maintaining a five-day week as before is possible. But RMT is not easing its criticism, saying TfL has not made sufficient efforts to avoid the strike.
Even within the same labor movement, there are voices criticizing RMT's decision to press ahead with the strike. The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), a drivers-centered union, supported TfL's four-day week plan and said it finds RMT's strike hard to understand. ASLEF called TfL's proposal an "ideal agreement" that provides 35 additional days of annual leave. It also criticized RMT, saying, "This may be the first time there has been a strike to block shorter working hours and more vacation." The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), which is centered on clerical and technical staff, did not voice direct criticism but is reluctant to participate in the strike.