Tube drivers in London have been handed a four-day week as part of a deal to settle industrial action.
Workers will do a regular 34-hour week across four days, including a 30-minute paid break, instead of the current 38.5 hours.
Drivers will only work a fifth day of the week once every three months, to account for some of the time being trimmed. However, it will be training rather than operating trains.
The package was proposed by Sadiq Khan‘s Transport for London after unions rejected a previous offer and threatened walkouts.
Aslef announced last night that 70 per cent of members had voted to endorse the new terms in a ballot, with 80 per cent turnout.
Tube drivers in London have been handed a four-day week as part of a deal to settle industrial action
The Tories have accused London mayor Sadiq Khan (pictured) of a ‘sell-out’ to unions with the four-day week offer
Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said: ‘Despite a campaign of disinformation and distortion by those who want to prevent drivers having improved working conditions and a better work-life balance, our members have voted in favour of the proposal by 70 per cent on an 80 per cent turnout in an independently audited referendum.
‘As a majority of members have voted in favour of the proposal, we will now be writing to the company to inform them of the result and to arrange a meeting to start detailed discussions on implementation.’
It remains unclear whether the package will be implemented, as the RMT union represents some Tube drivers and is yet to agree.
Currently drivers take unpaid breaks within their hours, and ‘bank’ one hour a week that is given back as time in lieu later.
Supporters of the new arrangement say it is hard for TfL to dictate how long unpaid breaks should last.
Other terms, including pay and 7.4 weeks of leave a year, remain the same.
The basic salary for a Tube driver is around £64,000.
However, according to details released under freedom of information rules, the bulk of the 3,500 drivers received between £70,000 and £80,000 in 2023-24.
The Tories have accused London mayor Mr Khan of a ‘sell-out’ to unions with the four-day week offer.
According to details released under freedom of information rules in 2023, the bulk of the 3,500 Tube drivers were paid between £70,000 and £80,000 (file picture)
