Tube strikes called off after TfL and unions strike deal

Image: Tube strikes have been cancelled after Aslef say concessions were made by TfL

Strike on Tuesday 12 November will no longer go ahead

A major series of Tube strikes in London has been called off after a deal was struck between Transport for London (TfL) and the unions representing London Underground workers.

The potential disruption, which would have affected thousands of commuters on November 7 and 12, was avoided without TfL offering an additional pay rise to London Underground staff.

The strikes were suspended by Aslef, the union representing 2,000 Tube drivers, after discussions with TfL on Tuesday. Aslef’s decision followed the RMT union’s suspension of a separate eight-day rolling strike, initially set to commence Friday 1 November.

TfL’s offer, while not increasing wages beyond the agreed rate, reportedly addressed several of the unions’ broader concerns, including the need for improved working conditions and more manageable shift patterns.

Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer, expressed relief that the Tube network will remain open.

“We are pleased that Aslef has suspended its planned industrial action on the Tube and that Londoners will not be disrupted this week or next,” she said. “We believe that we have made an offer to our trade unions that is fair, affordable, good for our colleagues, and good for London.”

Although exact details of the negotiations remain undisclosed, it’s understood that the unions have shifted their demands towards non-monetary aspects, such as changes to shift patterns, in an attempt to mitigate the “exhausting” nature of current schedules.

This stance, along with concessions on pay bands, was reportedly key to the deal, with TfL agreeing that pay bands would now align with the negotiated wage increase. The outcome appears to offer lower-paid station staff, who earn under £30,000, a 7.8% pay increase, while Tube drivers will see their pay increase to around £69,600.

The progress contrasts sharply with the high-stakes settlement reached earlier this year by London mayor Sadiq Khan, who agreed to a £30m deal with the RMT union to prevent New Year’s walkouts.

This previous agreement, funded by business rates and Council Tax, provided the lowest-paid workers with an 11% increase but drew criticism from the Conservatives, who argued it incentivised further pay demands.

Aslef, which has been pushing for a move towards a four-day, 32-hour working week—a benefit already available to drivers on the Elizabeth Line and London Overground—seemed satisfied with the offer. The union noted that significant headway had been made and that the Tube drivers’ schedule is currently more rigorous than those of drivers employed by private operators on TfL-supervised networks.

Union representatives are now set to review TfL’s proposals and assess the agreement’s potential for addressing long-term grievances around staff welfare. Further strikes are likely if talks break down.