London Underground Workers End Five-Day Strike Demanding Rights and Reduced Working Hours

London Underground workers ended a five-day strike this Friday (12). Dozens of stations were closed throughout the week, with thousands of workers fighting for better working conditions, rights, and wages.

The ongoing strike, led by the union responsible for the service, the RMT (Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), focused on reducing the working day from 35 to 32 hours.

As the company that manages the service claims it is impossible to meet this demand, further mobilizations in the near future are not ruled out.

Underground workers are also demanding a salary increase and compliance with previous agreements that were neglected by the company. The excessive workload and long shifts were the catalysts for the strike.

Another central issue for the mobilization is the denunciation of the closure of all ticket offices on the Elizabeth Line in 2027. This is what the union considers a "betrayal of workers and the entire population."

London Underground workers are also demanding immediate negotiations and have stated that the ongoing strike must last at least seven days. So far, company management has agreed to negotiate only wages, describing a reduction in working hours as impossible.

On Wednesday, RMT Union President Eddie Dempsey demanded that London Mayor Sadiq Khan intervene in negotiations with the company and stop attacking workers on social media.

In Defense of Outsourced Workers

The London Underground workers' mobilization is also calling for better wages and the implementation of sick pay for cleaning workers hired by an outsourced company.

"Full support for the striking London metro workers. Reduce the working week to 32 hours now!" says Fábio Bosco, from the International Sector of the CSP-Conlutas Trade Union Center.