London Underground Drivers have voted for the 34-hour four-day work week offered by Transport for London last year to avoid strike action.
The weekly hours will be reduced from 38.5 to 35. This includes a current unpaid break and a “banked” hour every week that is given as time instead.
Aslef members, who represent 85% of Tube Drivers, voted 70% for the proposals with an 80% participation rate.
In the new arrangement, drivers’ shifts will be longer to reflect a four-day work week. They will go from 7 hours 42 minutes on average to 8 hours 30 – 48 extra minutes. The pay rates and 7.4 weeks annual leave will not change.
Train drivers earn about PS64,000 but can earn even more with extra responsibility and experience.
Finn Brennan said that the results of the vote were achieved despite “a campaign of disinformation and distortion by those who wanted to prevent drivers from having better working conditions and work-life balance.
“As the majority of members voted in favor of the proposal, now we will write to the company and inform them of the results. We will also arrange a meeting for a detailed discussion on implementation.”
Drivers will work 34 hours, including the paid break and an “owed hour”. The “owed” hour will be made up through a 5-day work week, roughly once every three month.
Aslef described this offer as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to improve the quality of life for which we have been campaigning over the past decades.
The RMT union members rejected the plan in the beginning of this month. Eddie Dempsey is the newly elected RMT general secretary. He wrote to RMT members in a letter on 1 April that “I have informed the company that the proposal has been rejected and RMT expects it to be withdrawn.”
TfL stated that the changes will allow for greater flexibility in rosters, and that the paid meal break “inside” of the working day will resolve certain logistical problems.
The union’s own plan for a four-day work week would reduce the number of hours worked per week to 32.
The plans would be implemented in 2027 and were discussed during last year’s salary talks, but drivers had to vote on them.
TfL stated: “As agreed upon in the previous pay deal, we’ve shown our trade unions what a four-day work week could look like for train drivers. These changes do not involve any change to the number or contractual hours of drivers, nor any increase in their annual leave. They would also improve reliability and allow us to provide a more modern and efficient service without adding any additional costs.
We’re aware of the fact that both unions conducted a vote among their members, and we are awaiting all the results. We will continue to work with our unions on the four-day working week and other issues that could make London Underground a better place for our employees and customers.
Personnel Today has the latest HR job openings.
Subscribe to our weekly HR news and guidance
Every Wednesday, receive the Personnel Today Direct newsletter.