Tube strike – live: RMT announce London Underground walkout cancelled at last minute

Simon Calder, The Independent’s travel correspondent, said the news the strike had been cancelled at the last minute would be welcomed for commuters and businesses alike. He said:

“Basically, I think that TfL has managed to find more money down the back of the sofa – and has conceded that its “full and final” offer of 5 per cent has some wriggle room.

“After talks broke down on Friday night, it appeared the chances of a solution had vanished – evidently, though, there was will on both sides for a settlement.

“Ironically, the restoration of the full Tube service will make it easier for members of the Aslef executive committee to meet in at the London headquarters of the train drivers’ union this coming week – during which it seems highly likely that more national rail strikes will be called for late January.”

A source close to the talks said that TfL had offered up to £30m extra to help resolve the pay dispute.

RMT have suspended their planned tube strike this week following talks with TfL. Planned action from Monday to Thursday will no longer go ahead after RMT made progress in discussions with TfL today.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available.

“This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting in to urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Following further positive discussions today, the negotiations on a pay deal for our London Underground members can now take place on an improved basis and mandate with significant further funding for a settlement being made available.

“This significantly improved funding position means the scheduled strike action will be suspended with immediate effect and we look forward to getting into urgent negotiations with TfL in order to develop a suitable agreement and resolution to the dispute.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said on Sunday: “Strikes are bad news for everyone, and no worker or union wants to have to make the difficult decision to take industrial action. Before the pandemic and the subsequent emergency funding deals, the number of days lost due to strikes action had reduced by over 70 per cent compared to the previous Mayor’s time in office.

“This is a result of the constructive engagement between Transport for London, the Mayor, his office and the trade unions. This is an approach Sadiq intends to continue taking in London.

“By the Government attaching punitive conditions to TfL’s funding deal and failing to engage with trade unions across a range of sectors, we continue to see disruptive strike action across the whole country. This has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis putting pressure on workers across all sectors.”

The newly opened £18.9 billion Elizabeth Line will be closed in parts throughout the strikes.

During the following times, Elizabeth line services are not expected to call at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.

These stations may also be subject to further short notice closures throughout the day.

TfL announced the closures at the following times

• Monday 8 January: Before 06:30 and after 22:30
• Tuesday 9 January: Before 07:30
• Wednesday 10 January: Before 06:30 and after 22:30
• Thursday 11 January: Before 07:30

There will be severe disruption on the London Underground network from 5.30pm on Sunday through to the morning of Friday 12 January.

Other TfL workers on bus, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line services won’t be striking, but those services will be busier and affected by station closures at stations that also serve London Underground lines.

One-way or queueing systems may also be in place, it says.

Lines serving the Emirates Stadium are expected to remain open later to accommodate fans watching the Arsenal v Liverpool FA Cup tie. Those services will begin to wind down from 7.30pm.

A message on their website read:

“RMT strikes on the Tube are currently planned in early January.

“If they go ahead, there will be severe disruption on the London Underground network from the evening of Sunday 7 January through to the morning of Friday 12 January.

“Sunday 7 January: Tube services will close earlier than normal. Complete Tube journeys by 17:30.”

UK Hospitality Chief Executive, Kate Nicholls, warned that the RMT strike could hit hospitality businesses by up to £50m over the next week.

“With the strike days affecting Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week (9-11 January) – the key week days that commuters now come into the city – we estimate that the impact to the sector from next week’s tube strike could be up to £50 million,” she said.

“And that figure is on top of the lost £4 billion in sales over the past 18 months that hospitality businesses have already had to absorb from ongoing transport strikes.

“January is already one of the quieter trading months of the year for hospitality, where every sale counts, and this disruption will make the start to the year even more challenging.

“We need all parties to come together to urgently reach a resolution and bring to an end this long-running disruption.”

Sadiq Khan has been accused of failing to use strike-busting minimum service legislation on TfL services as a fresh wave of walkouts.

Greg Hands, local MP for Chelsea and Fulham, posted on X: “Mayor Khan is feeble. 140 Tube strikes with him as Mayor. And he won’t use the Government’s new legislation to provide a minimum service on the Tube.

“And he promised us ‘zero days of public transport strikes’ to get elected in 2016.

“It’s time for a new Mayor.”

New regulations are aimed at ensuring a minimum level of services during strikes, starting in sectors including the railways and the Border Force before being more widely introduced.

The Government brought forward the new law following 18 months of strikes by hundreds of thousands of workers including nurses, teachers, junior doctors, civil servants and train drivers.

London Underground workers are taking strike action, over pay, grading structures and travel facilities, the RMT has said.

Control staff will strike on Sunday for 24 hours and from Monday to Wednesday nearly 10,000 RMT members will strike across the Tube.

An RMT spokesperson said: “TfL has failed to avert this strike by not offering a deal that was acceptable to our members on London Underground.

“We do not take strike action lightly but we are determined to get a negotiated settlement on pay, travel facilities and a grading structure that means our members will not lose out.”