A union leader whose members are set to shut the London Underground in a dispute over pay and conditions says he is “not optimistic” that the strikes will be averted.
About 2,000 Tube drivers belonging to Aslef are due to walk out on Thursday and again next Tuesday, with each strike beginning at midnight and lasting 24 hours.
Transport for London has warned passengers that the Tube will be forced to close if the strikes go ahead. Knock-on disruption in the morning following the strikes is also expected.
TfL invited all four Tube unions – Aslef, the RMT, Unite and the TSSA – to talks starting at 10am on Tuesday.
This follows the RMT, which represents 10,000 Tube staff, deciding last Friday to suspend its strike action, despite TfL insisting that no extra money was offered.
Speaking to The Standard on Tuesday morning ahead of the talks, Finn Brennan, Aslef’s London regional organiser, said the dispute was not primarily about pay but about improving drivers’ working conditions.
Aslef has a long-term aim of securing Tube drivers a 32-hour, four-day working week.
Mr Brennan said the “ball is in TfL’s court” and admitted: “I’m not optimistic for a resolution.”
He said: “We are here to listen. These are negotiations that should have finished back in April. But after six months of talks, our members’ patience has been exhausted.
“We want to hear a new proposal from the company today. What we’re looking for is real improvements in work-life balance and quality time off for our members. This is not a dispute predominantly about money. It’s about improving working conditions for people who work exhausting shift patterns keeping London moving.”
He said TfL’s financial offer had been rejected by Aslef and the other trade unions. “The key issue is about improving working conditions. That is what we want to hear today.”
Mr Brennan added: “I’m not optimistic that progress will be made, but we are here to listen, we are here to engage. We don’t want to have to go on strike. We want to make progress.
“But the ball is firmly now in the management of TfL’s court to make sure we don’t have a strike on Thursday.”
Aslef has not had face-to-face talks with TfL since Friday October 25 – nearly two weeks ago.
Mr Brennan, speaking outside TfL’s Palestra headquarters, said: “We have had no new offer from the company. Our industrial action goes ahead until we have had an offer from the company that our members will see as reasonable and acceptable. At the moment, there is no sign of that happening.
“We are here to listen, we are here to engage, but as things stand I’m not optimistic for a resolution. But we will work hard to try to achieve one.”
TfL commissioner Andy Lord said the pay deal on the table was worth 4.5 per cent to Tube drivers. This would take the salary of an experienced driver to about £69,600.
Mr Brennan said: “We have been clear that money is not the key issue in this dispute. But given the cost of living and housing costs in London…the salary is not a huge one. We never apologise for negotiating good pay and conditions for our members.”
TfL’s advice to passengers is that, if the strikes go ahead, “no London Underground services are expected to run” on Thursday and “severe disruption with little to no service is expected” the following Tuesday.
The Elizabeth line, DLR and London Overground will continue to operate during any strikes, but may not stop at some stations that are shared with the Underground.
Queuing may have to be put in place to control passenger flows. About 770,000 journeys are made each day on the Lizzie line - making it the busiest railway in the country.
TfL also expects the roads to be “extremely busy”.
TfL insists that no extra cash has been offered to the RMT as part of negotiations that resulted in its eight-day rolling action, which would have seen different members take action on different days, being shelved.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh praised London mayor Sadiq Khan for “getting round the table” with the RMT - though Mr Khan is not believed to have taken part in any face-to-face talks.
Great news.
— Louise Haigh (@LouHaigh) November 1, 2024
Well done to @SadiqKhan for getting around the table and putting passengers first. https://t.co/v9oi9vVCKk
Union leaders had been seeking an improved pay deal after TfL offered a 3.8 per cent increase plus a £450 “lump sum” payment.
TfL said its offer was worth an average of 4.6 per cent, or 4.5 per cent for Tube drivers.
If the Aslef Tube strike goes ahead on Thursday, this will also affect Chelsea fans heading to Stamford Bridge for the Uefa Conference League match against the Armenian team Noah. The tie has an 8pm kick-off.
