Tube drivers cancel planned strikes after ‘improved offer’ | London Underground

A planned strike by tube drivers that threatened to halt all London Underground services on Thursday has been called off, their union announced.

Talks between Aslef officials and Transport for London management led to a “significantly improved offer” on Tuesday, according to the union.

Aslef had called two 24-hour strikes in the capital to take place on Thursday and Tuesday next week.

The announcement will come as a relief to Londoners who had been warned to expect no underground trains and severe congestion and disruption on other TfL services if the action were to go ahead.

The decision by Aslef follows a similar move by the RMT union, which on Friday called off its planned strikes this week.

Aslef had previously said they were “not optimistic” about a decision after almost a fortnight passed without negotiations after strike dates were announced.

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organizer on the London Underground, said: “Following new talks and an improved offer, Aslef has agreed to suspend our planned industrial action on the London Underground.

“Details of the offer will be discussed with our representatives at a meeting on Thursday. We are pleased that this progress has been made and that strike action has been averted at this stage. .”

Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are pleased that Aslef has suspended its planned strike action on the Tube and that Londoners will not be disrupted this week or next.

“We believe we have given our unions an offer that is fair, affordable, good for our colleagues and good for London, and we encourage our unions to continue working with us.”

The dispute arose during negotiations over the delayed 2024 wage deal, although union officials insisted pay was not the primary concern. It was understood that tube drivers were seeking the same conditions as counterparts on the Elizabeth line, while unions have continued to seek guarantees for TfL pensions.

It is believed Underground drivers have been offered a pay rise of around 4.5%, bringing average pay to more than £69,000 for a four-day week.

The suspension of the planned strikes caps a positive seven days for TfL. On Monday it restored another tranche of customer services taken offline after the cyber attack in September, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last week’s Budget confirmed a £485m price tag to fund new Piccadilly trains and said the government would work towards a long-term economic solution for London.