The District Line strikes that were due to hit East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields this week and next have been called off after last-minute talks between the RMT union and Transport for London.
Both disruptions, scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday this week, are now suspended. Four June dates have also gone. Two new conditional dates, 2 June and 4 June, are in place if talks break down.
The RMT announced the suspension on Monday afternoon. A union spokesperson said the employer had “shifted its position,” allowing further discussions about the four-day working week that is at the heart of the dispute. The union was direct about what this is not: “The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.”
TfL welcomed the news. Nick Dent, director of customer operations at London Underground, said the proposal for a voluntary four-day week was designed to improve work-life balance for drivers and reliability for passengers, and that TfL looked forward to further discussions.
What’s suspended, what’s replaced
The following dates are now off: 19–20 May (midday Tuesday to Friday morning), 21–22 May (midday Thursday to Friday morning), 16 June and 18 June.
In their place: 2 June and 4 June, each a 24-hour period from midday, but only if the dispute is unresolved before then.
The background
The dispute is not straightforward. The RMT opposes a compressed four-day working week on fatigue and safety grounds. ASLEF (which represents a slight majority of drivers) has backed TfL’s proposal, calling it “the biggest improvement in working conditions for Underground train drivers in decades.” That split is why strikes this spring disrupted rather than shut the line entirely.
This week’s suspension follows the same pattern as March, when TfL also moved under strike pressure. The immediate threat is lifted. The dispute is live.
For regular commuters, East Putney, Putney Bridge and Southfields were facing four disrupted commutes in nine days. That pressure has gone for now. Whether it returns in June depends on talks over the coming weeks.
If you travel via the District Line, check TfL’s strikes page before any journey on or around 2 June and 4 June. Southfields, East Putney and Putney Bridge will all be affected again if those dates go ahead.
SWR from Putney station remains the strongest alternative on any future strike day: direct to Waterloo, six trains per hour off-peak, roughly 500 metres from East Putney station. Routes 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220 and 265 serve the corridor, all busier on strike days.
For the full series, see our report from 14 May and the March context piece. The 26 April piece documents what happens when the strikes coincide with the District Line’s pre-existing signal problems, which they did.
