London Underground drivers are set to walk out for two 24-hour Tube strikes next week after the RMT said last-ditch talks failed to resolve a dispute over plans for a compressed four-day week. The stoppages are scheduled to run from 00.01 to 23.59 on Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June.
The timing leaves passengers with two separate days of disruption across most Tube lines, while Transport for London says the Elizabeth line, London Overground, DLR and tram services should run as scheduled but be busier than normal. For London commuters, that means the strikes are no longer a warning — they are now the next fixed date on the calendar.
Claire Mann, a senior TfL figure in the dispute, said the transport body still believed the issues could be resolved through more detailed discussions and said it was continuing to talk to union representatives in an effort to avoid disruption to London. She also said a significant number of drivers wanted TfL to press ahead with a pilot of the new working pattern on the Bakerloo line, which the operator says would bring benefits for both staff and customers.
The RMT sees the same plan very differently. The union says TfL has refused to engage meaningfully with its concerns and argues that a compressed four-day week could mean fatigue, longer shifts, less flexibility and safety risks in a role it describes as safety-critical. TfL says the pilot would be voluntary, and the dispute has exposed a split in union response because Aslef has backed the proposal and represents a slight majority of Tube drivers.
The union has already taken industrial action over the proposal in April, called off a two-day strike planned for mid-May at the last minute, and then moved further strikes originally slated for 16 and 18 June to next week. The RMT says it remains available for meaningful talks, but unless those discussions produce a change before Tuesday, the first walkout will begin just after midnight and London’s Underground will face another two days of pressure.
