More strike action on the London Underground is set to spark chaos over the Easter holidays as members of the Aslef union, which represents 96% of train drivers in Britain, will to strike on Monday, April 8 and Saturday, May 4.
This comes two-and-a-half months after Sadiq Khan paid £30m to avert a week of walkouts by union RMT, which represents about 10,000 Tube staff.
The RMT walkouts would have shut the Underground for four days, as staff demanded a 12 per cent pay rise.
The new strikes will mark the second and third days of action by Aslef on this issue. The union also took to the picket lines for one day in March last year.
Tube drivers earn a fixed salary of £63,901, while instructors take home £66,649. However, many can boost their pay by working overtime.
TfL figures revealed that in 2022/23, 2,648 drivers and 46 instructors enjoyed a package, including salary, pension, overtime, allowances, and bonuses of between £70,000 and £80,000.
But when is the next Tube strike and why are tensions high? Here is everything we know:
When are the next Tube strikes?
Commuters will be negatively impacted on Monday, April 8, and Saturday, May 4, when tube train drivers who are members of the train drivers’ union, ASLEF, go on strike
The strikes would start at 00:01 and finish at 23:59.
While there won't be a walkout on other TfL services, some DLR, bus, Elizabeth line, London Overground, and busier services could be impacted by station closures when those stations also serve London Underground lines. There may also be queueing or one-way systems in place.
Why are unions striking?
The potential for another walkout came after strikes were averted at the 11th hour in July and October. This came after staff pensions were safeguarded and guarantees were secured on station staffing — saving about 200 jobs.
The RMT first called members out on strike in March last year over concerns about the loss of up to 600 station posts. It held six Tube strikes in 2022 and another strike on Budget Day in March, when Aslef drivers also went on strike.
The RMT had called off previous action, saying there were now “longer guarantees on protection of earnings, no pension changes for at least three years and so-called productivity proposals which would have damaged the terms and conditions of RMT members have been halted”.
But the union has since rejected a proposed five per cent pay offer. It has called for improved staff travel facilities for all Tube workers.
This time, Aslef drivers voted by more than 98% in favour of strike action on a turnout of over 70%.
Finn Brennan, a representative for the union, said on Wednesday: “Aslef Tube train drivers will strike in April and May in a long-running dispute over London Underground’s failure to give assurances that changes to our members’ terms and conditions will not be imposed without agreement and that all existing agreements will be honoured.
“Despite a previous commitment to withdraw plans for massive changes to drivers’ working conditions, London Underground management has established a full-time team of managers preparing to impose their plans.
“They want drivers to work longer shifts, spending up to 25 per cent more time in the cab, and to remove all current working agreements in the name of ‘flexibility and efficiency’.”
