A union has warned further strikes on the Tube network are "inevitable" if the dispute over drivers' working hours isn't resolved.
Londoners faced another day of misery on Thursday, with Underground drivers staging their second strike of the week.
The 24-hour walkout by drivers who are members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union followed similar action on Tuesday and disruption from two strikes in April.
Strikes in May were called off amid the hope the dispute over a four-day week could be resolved. However, industrial action went ahead this week after talks broke down.
Now a representative for the RMT in London hasn't ruled out future strikes if negotiations remain at an impasse.
RMT’s London lead, Jared Wood, told Metro RMT representatives who are drivers, and the union’s national executive will get together to decide what happens next.
"We will get everyone together and we’ll have a discussion about what the next steps are," he told the newspaper.
"In the meantime, we would hope to have met the company again to see if there’s any shift in their position.
"But at the moment, there is no indication at the last meeting that they were prepared to negotiate the terms.
"And if that continued to be their position, then I’m afraid further action will be inevitable."
He said further strike action would be "under immediate consideration" if the terms of TfL's proposals are not renegotiated.
TfL are offering Tube drivers the chance to work a four-day week, with hours reduced from 36 to 35 hours, but drivers working longer shifts on days they work. Those who do not wish to work the four day week do not need to do so.
But the RMT is arguing the working day would be too long under the proposals, risking driver fatigue and potentially compromising safety, and wants to negotiate a 32-hour week over four days.
The union fears the arrangement would remain voluntary only during a transition period, and that new hires would have to accept the four-day arrangement as default.
Mr Wood accused TfL of being ‘unreasonable’ in their demands.
He told Metro: "It is not about pay. It is about whether it is reasonable for someone to start work at 3.45am, drive without a break for five hours, then have a half-hour break and get back into driving.
"Is it reasonable to say that you will never know what your duties are until 24 hours before that duty? How is someone supposed to arrange childcare, or do whatever they do in their life?
"That is what the dispute is about, the London Underground trying to impose unreasonable terms on people."
Mr Wood revealed that further discussions are planned for next week.
A TfL spokesperson said: "Safety is always our top priority and, as we have told the RMT repeatedly in our discussions with them, the details they are talking about are extremes that we are confident we could resolve if they committed to working through the details of our proposals. It is also striking that in our discussions at ACAS on Monday the RMT did not once mention the issue of fatigue.
"We have committed, a number of times and in a number of ways including in writing before this most recent industrial action, to these proposals being voluntary. Any suggestion otherwise is misleading the public in order to justify strike action over proposals that would give Tube drivers more time off and create a more modern, efficient Tube service."
Picket lines were again mounted outside Tube stations on Thursday and buses were busier than usual.
Tube lines were suspended or disrupted because of the strike, which the union said was being solidly supported.
Transport for London said Londoners and visitors to the city were still able to travel despite the strike action on Tuesday adding that more than 60% of drivers came to work across the day.
“We continue to urge the RMT to work with us to resolve their questions on the proposed four-day week and to suspend any future action while that work is completed,” said a spokesperson.
Research by communications firm 02 showed that footfall in London was down by up 12% compared with a normal Thursday morning.
Footfall in the City was down by 9%, King’s Cross by 12%, the West End by 5% and Westminster by 11%.
A Virgin Media O2 spokesperson said: “As Tube strikes continue across London, our mobility data shows footfall remains down across some of the city’s busiest areas.
“The data highlights the continued impact transport disruption can have on central London, with many people once again changing their usual routines and journeys.”
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