Strike action that was set to cause a week of chaos on the London Underground has been called off.
The announcement came after leaders of one of the main Tube unions met on Friday morning to decide whether to cancel two days of walkouts by their members.
Aslef, which represents the vast majority of Tube drivers, said “real progress” had been made with Transport for London at conciliation service Acas earlier this week over the central issue of the threat to staff pensions.
Shortly before midday on Friday, Finn Brennan, Aslef’s London organiser, confirmed to the Standard that all the strikes had been called off.
He posted a message to Aslef members on the union’s website, saying “solidarity and determination delivers real results”.
Aslef drivers had been due to walk out next Wednesday and next Friday – a move that would have resulted in the total shutdown of the Tube.
Separate but overlapping action by Tube station staff belonging to the RMT – over the same issue – was due to begin on Sunday and last until Saturday. This has also been cancelled. A third union, Unite, has also withdrawn its strike threat.
Glynn Barton, chief operating officer at TfL, said: “We are pleased that the RMT, Aslef and Unite have suspended their planned industrial action next week.
“This is good news for London and we will continue to work closely with our trade unions to discuss the issues and seek a resolution.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “It is really welcome news for Londoners that the trade unions have suspended their planned strikes next week and that commuters won’t face disruption.
“Despite the onerous funding deal conditions imposed by the Government we have managed to avoid industrial action.
“Negotiation is always the best way forward and this shows what we can achieve by working with trade unions.
“I’ve been in close contact with the TfL commissioner throughout this week, and I’ll keep working with our TfL unions and staff to deliver the best transport system in the world for Londoners.”
The RMT, which had been the first union to threaten to strike next week, confirmed it has suspended its plans for a rolling walkout involving its 10,000 Underground members.
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 last year and another strike on Budget Day this March, when Aslef drivers also went on strike.
The RMT said 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”.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “There has been significant progress made by our negotiating team in Acas talks with TfL.
“However this is not the end of the dispute nor is it a victory for the union as yet. Our members were prepared to engage in significant disruptive industrial action and I commend their resolve.
"RMT’s strike mandate remains live until October and we are prepared to use it if necessary.
”We will continue to negotiate in good faith as we always have done with TfL and it was only the steadfast commitment of our members in being prepared to take sustained strike action that has forced the employer to make significant concessions.
“Our campaign to defend jobs, conditions and our members pensions will continue in the coming weeks and months.”
Mr Brennan had said a week of “intense negotiations” had resulted in “real progress” in protecting working conditions and pensions.
He said: “There will be no changes to pension benefits before the next General Election. And any future changes to working conditions and agreements will only be made by negotiation. This is a major step forward. “
Aslef said agreement had been struck to cancel the strikes after TfL also withdrew plans to impose a new “attendance at work” procedure.
Proposed changes relating to trains modernisation have also been put on the back burner.
“Management accepted that proper negotiations on trains modernisation have not even started and confirmed they do not wish to impose changes to existing agreements,” Mr Brennan wrote.
“They have accepted that changes to current agreements must come by negotiation. Open ended talks will take place overseen by Acas but with no deadlines for making changes.”
Mr Brennan told Aslef members: “On the basis of this progress, Aslef and the other unions involved, Unite and RMT have agreed to suspend the action planned for next week.”
TfL confirmed it had struck a deal with the Department for Transport for any reform of its pensions scheme not to take effect until September 30, 2026 – well after the next election.
This opens up the possibility that an incoming Labour government could ditch the requirement for the review of the TfL pension scheme, which was a condition of one of TfL’s covid bailouts from the Government.
TfL commissioner Andy Lord, in a letter to the Department for Transport’s permanent secretary, Bernadette Kelly, said TfL was “pleased” that the Government had recognised the pension scheme should remain a public sector scheme – and most likely be incorporated within the local government pension scheme, were any changes to be made.
He thanked her for confirming that pension benefits accumulated to date by members would be protected – and that a change in the law would be needed to change the pension scheme.
Mr Lord said this was a “significant milestone” – probably because it means any changes cannot be rushed through.
The Government wants a consultation on changing the pension scheme to start by July 2024. TfL and the DfT have agreed that implementation of any changes “could not be before 30 September 2026”. But Mr Lord said that “do nothing” remains an option.
