London Underground workers begin first full-stage walkout since 2023; entire network to close from 6pm
RMT seeks pay increases and cut to 32-hour week; Transport for London offers 3.4% rise and warns shorter hours are 'unaffordable and impractical'
London Underground staff began a full-stage walkout on Sunday, triggering a phased shutdown of the Tube that will see the entire network close from 6pm on Sunday until around 8am on Friday, Sept. 12, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Limited services ran during the morning but TfL warned that most routes would be suspended from 6pm as negotiations with the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) over pay and conditions remain unresolved. The union is seeking a cash pay increase and a reduction of working hours from 35 to 32 per week; TfL has offered a 3.4% pay rise and described proposals to shorten working hours as "unaffordable and impractical."
Nick Dent, TfL's director of customer operations for the Tube, appealed to the union to call off the planned action, saying the authority had met the RMT four times in the past two weeks and would welcome further talks. "It is not too late to call off the strikes and put our offer to the RMT members," he said. The RMT has signalled it will continue with the timetable of stoppages.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said the disputes reflect fatigue, long shift patterns and unresolved staff travel arrangements. "Our members are doing a fantastic job to keep our capital moving and work strenuous shift patterns to make sure Londoners get to their destinations around the clock," Dempsey said when the strikes were announced. He added that members were not seeking a "King's ransom" but wanted health and wellbeing issues addressed.
The DLR will also be stopped entirely on Tuesday and Thursday over a separate dispute, TfL said, and alternative services — including buses, the London Overground and trams — are expected to be extremely busy. TfL warned that some rail services operating on shared routes may be unable to stop at certain stations, and that roads across the capital are likely to see increased congestion as commuters seek other ways to travel.
The action marks the first time the entire Underground network has been closed since March 2023, when industrial action organised by then-RMT leadership produced citywide disruption. In January of that year, the mayor used Greater London Authority funds to avert a set of strikes; there has been no public confirmation of a similar intervention for this dispute.
TfL and the RMT have exchanged offers and counteroffers in recent weeks. TfL maintains that its 3.4% pay proposal is an attempt to balance affordability with staff demands, while the union says reductions in working hours and improvements to shift patterns are necessary to address fatigue and wellbeing.
Commuters and businesses face a week of disrupted travel at the start of the working week, with employers and transport planners advising staff and customers to anticipate delays and to consider remote working or altered schedules where possible. TfL has posted an updated "Strike Action Impacts" page on its website and urged passengers to check journeys before travelling.
Negotiations are expected to continue while the walkout proceeds. Both TfL and the RMT described themselves as open to further engagement, but no agreement had been announced by publication time.