Tube strike set to go ahead after failed talks

Another wave of industrial action is due to take place as London Underground drivers walk out in a dispute over the voluntary introduction of a four-day week with condensed hours.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) voted to oppose the changes, calling it a "fake four-day week that amounts to five days' work compressed into four".

Transport for London (TfL) described the strikes, which start at 12:00 BST on Tuesday, as "disappointing" and said drivers "can remain on a five-day working pattern".

No service is expected on the Circle and Piccadilly lines or the Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate and the Central line between White City and Liverpool Street.

A second 24-hour walkout will begin at 12:00 on Thursday, causing disruption into Friday.

Many Tube drivers are set to turn up to work as usual, including members of the Aslef train drivers' trade union - which has accepted the proposals, labelling them "exactly the sort of deal every trade union should be trying to achieve".

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," an Aslef spokesperson said.

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

"Our members feel that this is a 'fake four-day week' that amounts to five days' work compressed into four.

"This includes reduced flexibility over shift patterns, with the potential for only 24 hours notice of what shifts drivers will be doing, serious concerns from our members about shift length and resulting fatigue impacting safety in a safety-critical role like tube driving.

"Strikes remain on as we try to reach a negotiated settlement with TfL."

Claire Mann, TfL's chief operating officer, said: "It is disappointing that the RMT is planning this strike action despite our best efforts to resolve this dispute.

"We have been clear that our proposals for a four-day week are designed to improve work-life balance and are entirely voluntary.

"Any Tube driver who doesn't wish to opt in to the new four-day working pattern and associated changes to working arrangements can remain on a five-day working pattern."