Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has put forward a 3.4 percent unconditional pay increase for London Underground drivers following a week of strike action that paralysed services across the capital. Transport for London (TfL) is scheduled to discuss the proposal at a board meeting on Monday, where the rise would be offered to train drivers without attached conditions, according to a TfL board agenda published online.
The board document states, "We believe that this offer makes the best use of the budget we have available and will maximise the level of pay increase we can provide for our people." The strikes forced tens of thousands of commuters to walk, cycle or use taxis, and businesses in central areas reported sharply reduced footfall.
The London Ambulance Service reported a roughly one-third increase in cycling collisions during the first days of the disruption, and retail monitoring showed footfall in Canary Wharf and Westminster fell by about 31 percent compared with the previous week. Photographs and commuter accounts showed stationary trains at depots and crowded mainline stations as rail workers staged industrial action.
Union sources told media outlets that driver discontent centres on proposals to change the length and structure of the working week rather than pay alone. Among demands reported by some outlets were a move to a 32-hour, four-day working week and other items described in publicity surrounding the disputes.
TfL has in previous negotiations offered pay increases conditioned on changes to working arrangements. Past proposals from the transport authority have included rebanding pay for some roles rather than maintaining a single flat rate, and in 2022 the Unite union threatened strike action over proposed changes to a TfL pension scheme.
Conservative councillors and party spokespeople criticised the unconditional nature of the proposed rise, saying it does not address the causes of the recent industrial action. Keith Prince, the Conservative Group transport spokesman at City Hall, said the offer "does nothing to prevent future strikes, and nothing to reassure Londoners that TfL and the Mayor of London have their interests at heart."
Unions have also rejected offers in the past that they say fail to resolve underlying disputes about conditions and rostering. TfL commissioners and mayoral officials are now weighing whether the budgetary trade-offs inherent in an unconditional increase are preferable to attaching changes to working practices as part of a negotiated settlement.
The timing of the board discussion follows a week in which large parts of the Underground network were taken out of service by industrial action, prompting calls from business groups and some elected officials for urgent resolution. Commuters reported extended journeys and crowded alternatives, and some employers said staff absences and late starts affected operations in financial and political districts.
A TfL spokesperson did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment. The Daily Mail reported that it had approached TfL for comment on the proposed offer.
Any formal offer approved by the TfL board would be presented to the relevant trade unions for consideration. Union leaders have previously described unconditional pay increases as desirable in principle but have insisted that broader terms affecting work patterns and conditions must be addressed if strikes are to be averted in the longer term.