The RMT union has cancelled two 24-hour strikes that had been set to hit London this week.
Drivers from the union had been due to walk out at 12pm on Tuesday and again on Thursday in a dispute over the working week.
However, RMT chiefs met on Monday morning and called off the industrial action, sparing hundreds of thousands of Underground users travel misery.
Strikes scheduled for June 16 and 18 have also been called off - but new 24-hour strike dates of June 2 and 4 could go ahead if the dispute remains unresolved.
The RMT stressed that they continue to oppose the “fake four-day week” that had been offered by TfL, saying it is in effect five days’ work compressed into four.
Here is a complete timeline of the row between the RMT and TfL.
March 2025
Transport for London (TfL) formally tabled an offer that would enable Tube drivers to condense their 35-hour weeks over four days rather than five.
TfL initially examined the possibility of introducing the four-day week to get Aslef, the drivers’ union, to call off two Tube strikes in November 2024.
However, TfL rejected calls from the RMT for Underground staff to have their normal hours altered from 35 to 32 hours per week.
April 2025
Aslef members voted 70 per cent in favour of the proposal, with their leadership describing it as a “once in a generation” opportunity to condense their 35 hours a week into four days rather than five.
However, the RMT unanimously opposed the plans, with its members seemingly reluctant to work longer shifts or agree to changes to working practices that would be required by TfL in return for the switch to a shorter week.
A total of 1,107 Tube drivers belonging to Aslef were in favour of the changes - but the RMT said that 1,219 of its driver members were opposed.
September 7-11 2025
The entire RMT union walked out for five days, in a dispute over working hours and pay.
The strike, which involved drivers, signallers and maintenance staff, effectively wiped out TfL services, causing travel misery for millions of Londoners.
This strike was not related to the four-day week proposal, which only affects drivers on the network.
TfL chief financial officer Rachel McLean told the London Assembly that the strikes caused a fall in income of “around £20 million to £25 million”.
November 2025
The RMT union accepted a three-year inflation-plus pay deal for London Underground workers, ending the dispute that led to the September walkouts.
The agreement ensured that Tube drivers’ pay would rise to nearly £80,000 a year, and included inflation-linked pay rises and “fatigue-friendly” shift patterns for Tube staff,
It also prevented further pay-related strikes for three years.
February 2026
RMT drivers were asked to vote on whether to authorise “strike action or action short of a strike” in opposition to the four-day week proposal.
And the drivers voted massively in favour of going on strike - with a total of 1,082 RMT Tube drivers voting in favour of strike action, with 101 voting against – meaning 91 per cent of members who voted supported a walkout.
March 2026
On March 11, six days of Tube strikes were announced by the RMT - two days in March, two days in April and two days in May.
Each strike was announced to last for 24 hours, spread over two days - affecting both the evening rush hour and the following morning’s rush hour, with the first scheduled for 12pm on Tuesday March 24.
However, just a week after the announcement, it was confirmed the March strikes would not take place, with conversations scheduled to try to resolve the matter.
The strikes planned for April and May remained in place.
Early April 2026
Negotiations between the two sides went nowhere, and the RMT confirmed that April’s strikes would go ahead.
TfL continued to insist that the proposed new working conditions were only voluntary.
April 21-24 2026
The two planned 24-hour strikes went ahead, causing travel chaos across London.
An RMT spokesperson said: “Our strike is solid and reflects our growing presence in the driver grade in London Underground.
“TfL need to focus on revising the offer our members have overwhelmingly rejected to avert further disruption in the coming months.”
Nick Dent, Director of Customer Operations for London Underground said: “We urge the RMT to meet us to discuss their issues and call off the future strikes.
“We are sorry for the disruption Londoners experienced but are pleased we were able to run more services than planned during the RMT’s action.”
May 18 2026
The day before the next round of strikes were scheduled to begin, the RMT cancelled them,
A union spokesperson said: "At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members' concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.
"The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress."
The RMT also brought forward planned strikes in June, which were due to take place on June 16 and June 18.
They are now set to start on Tuesday June 2 and Thursday June 4.
