LONDON Underground drivers are set to strike this week after talks failed in a dispute over the voluntary introduction of a four-day week with condensed hours.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union voted against the changes, calling it a “fake four-day week that amounts to five days’ work compressed into four”.
Transport for London (TfL) said the strikes were “disappointing” and maintained that drivers could remain on a five-day working pattern, BBC reported.
The first 24-hour strike will begin at 12:00 BST on Tuesday and continue until 10:59 BST on Wednesday.
A second strike will run from 12:00 BST on Thursday until 10:59 BST on Friday.
TfL said all London Underground lines were likely to be affected, with disruption continuing into the afternoons and evenings. Other TfL services, including the London Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, buses and trams, are expected to operate but will be busier than usual.
No service is expected on the Circle and Piccadilly lines, the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street, BBC reported.
Aslef accepted the proposals, saying they would give drivers an extra 35 days off a year “in return for some fairly minor changes to working conditions”.
An Aslef spokesperson said: “It will be the first strike in the history of the trade union movement designed to stop people having a shorter working week and more time off.”
