London Faces Travel Chaos as RMT Union Announces Week-Long Strikes Across Tube and DLR in Early September

Commuters in London are set to face major disruptions after the RMT union announced a week of strike action on the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) at the start of September.

The first walkout begins on Thursday, September 5th, at 6:00 PM, when workers from the Ruislip depot will strike for 24 hours. From September 7th, different groups of staff will stage daily walkouts, aiming to paralyze London’s transport network. While the strikes will affect all Tube lines, the Elizabeth Line and London Overground are expected to operate as normal.

The RMT accuses London Underground (LU) management of refusing to negotiate seriously on key issues, including pay increases, reducing staff fatigue, unsustainable shift patterns, and shortening the working week. On the other hand, Transport for London (TfL) has stated that reducing the current 35-hour working week is “impractical and financially unviable.”

Strike Schedule:

• September 7 (Sunday): Access control, control centre operations, power supply teams, and emergency response units.
• September 8 & 10 (Monday & Wednesday): Fleet maintenance, engineering teams, station staff, and train drivers.
• September 9 & 11 (Tuesday & Thursday): Signallers, traffic control teams, and emergency response crews.

Meanwhile, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) staff will also stage a separate strike from September 7 to 11 over disputes concerning pay and working conditions.

RMT’s acting general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, said employees are struggling with burnout, exhausting shift patterns, and unresolved travel-related issues, which has created an atmosphere of mistrust and frustration. In response, TfL said it has offered a 3.4% pay increase and is open to further discussions but insists the strikes should be called off.

The disruption is expected to cause severe travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of commuters and will also impact major London events, including Coldplay’s concerts at Wembley Stadium on September 7 and 8.

Follow People of London for the latest updates, travel advice, and breaking news about the strikes.