London Tube strikes: What you need to know

Although strikes by London Underground drivers scheduled in May were called off by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, further industrial action is still planned in a dispute over working patterns.

Members of the RMT union previously voted to oppose the voluntary introduction of a four-day working week with condensed hours.

Industrial action on 19 and 21 May and 16 and 18 June was shelved following last-ditch talks.

Two 24-hour walkouts have been scheduled for early June but Aslef drivers will turn up to work having accepted the proposals, labelling them "exactly the sort of deal every trade union should be trying to achieve".

As it stands, members of the RMT union will strike again on:

• Tuesday 2 June 00:01 - 23:59 BST
• Thursday 4 June 00:01 - 23:59 BST

Transport for London (TfL) hopes to run at least half its Tubes, although no service is expected on the Circle and Piccadilly lines nor the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate, and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.

Unlike April's industrial action dates, which started at noon and were timed to overlap across four days of the working week, these are timed to be standalone one-day walkouts.

Services will start late and finish early, TfL says, with no service before 06:30 BST or after 21:00. Some disruption is expected on the mornings of 3 and 5 June.

Buses, London Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR and tram services will be much busier.

During the first wave of strikes in April, the Circle line was suspended for the full duration, the Waterloo & City line did not run on the second day and other lines faced intermittent part suspensions or severe delays.

Only drivers belonging to the RMT union are due to walk out - that is roughly half the total number of drivers on the network. Aslef's participation in last year's strike, alongside the RMT, halted almost all Underground services.

The RMT has rejected an offer for drivers to voluntarily work a four-day week.

Under the proposals, most drivers would see their working week reduced from 36 hours to 35 hours. Their contractual hours would remain the same because paid meal breaks would be introduced.

This effectively means drivers would work longer days, but fewer days each week and fewer overall hours each week.

The arrangement is currently being trialled on the Bakerloo line on a voluntary basis to test its viability.

The RMT said the working day would be too long under the plans, risking driver fatigue and compromising safety.

The union instead wants a 32-hour week over four days, meaning drivers would work three fewer hours each week for the same salary.

TfL said drivers could remain on a five-day week if they wanted to, pointing out that the change was voluntary.

A spokesperson for Aslef, the union representing a slightly higher share of Tube drivers, previously said they were "surprised that the RMT has decided to take this action".

Aslef has agreed to the voluntary compressed four-day week, saying it gives participating drivers an extra 35 days off a year "in return for some fairly minor changes to working conditions".

"It will be the first strike in the history of the trade union movement designed to stop people having a shorter working week and more time off," Aslef's spokesperson added.

An RMT spokesperson said: "We have a different perspective from Aslef."

The RMT previously accused TfL of refusing to make concessions, saying their members had been left "in a position where they feel there is absolutely no alternative but to proceed with the strike action".

On 18 May, the RMT union said TfL had "shifted its position", allowing it to "explore our members concerns" about the new rosters.

But in a statement on 29 May, it criticised "TfL's continued refusal to engage meaningfully with the union's concerns over the proposed compressed four-day working arrangements".

It added: "Our members have raised serious concerns around fatigue, longer shifts, reduced flexibility and the impact these proposals could have in a safety-critical role.

"RMT remains available for meaningful talks, but London Underground cannot push ahead with changes to drivers' working conditions while refusing to properly address legitimate safety and workplace concerns."

Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said she was "disappointed" with the strike action and that talks with the RMT are ongoing over the proposals which she said "are, and have always been, clear".

She said: "The completely voluntary four-day week has been designed to improve work-life balance and any of our Tube drivers who do not wish to take up the new proposed way of working and associated changes to working arrangements can remain on a five-day working pattern.

"A significant number of drivers have indicated that they want us to progress plans for the pilot of this new working pattern on the Bakerloo line, bringing benefits both for our colleagues and our customers."

London Underground drivers also went on strike in September in a dispute over pay and conditions.

The industrial action caused severe disruption across the capital's transport network, with many Londoners getting around by e-bike instead.

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