Business leaders warn planned Tube strikes could hit London’s Christmas trade

London business groups have called on the RMT and Transport for London (TfL) to reach an agreement to avert planned Tube strikes that they warn could disrupt shops, restaurants and other hospitality businesses during the Christmas trading period.

The RMT has scheduled eight 24-hour walkouts on the Underground between 26 November and 25 February. Three are due before Christmas Day. The action is part of a dispute over proposals for a four-day working week for Tube drivers; the strikes remain scheduled, not completed.

Ed Richardson, transport programme director at BusinessLDN, said the action would affect Londoners and visitors who rely on the Tube and could hit hospitality particularly hard during the festive season. He urged both sides to reach an agreement and avoid the walkouts.

Karim Fatehi, chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the days just before Christmas were vital trading days for thousands of businesses in the capital. She warned disruption risked costing businesses revenue, putting visitors off and making travel harder for staff and customers.

Hospitality businesses depend on festive trade to boost annual turnover, while business leaders say operators are already facing higher operating and labour costs and changing consumer spending. The warnings are about a period when pubs, restaurants and other venues typically rely on increased seasonal demand.

Restaurant analytics platform Tenzo recorded lower sales and customer numbers at London venues during Tube strikes in June. Compared with the same weekdays the previous week, sales were down 6 per cent on Tuesday 2 June and 13.1 per cent on Thursday 4 June. Across the two days, the median venue’s sales fell by about 10.4 per cent.

Tenzo’s figures also showed fewer transactions: 6.9 per cent fewer on the Tuesday and 11.7 per cent fewer on the Thursday. The data indicated that the sales decline was largely associated with fewer customers visiting, rather than customers spending less once there. The median sales fall across the four-day period of April strikes was 4.8 per cent.

The dispute concerns TfL proposals to change drivers’ working patterns. The RMT says drivers would work longer days and spend longer hours driving trains, and argues that the arrangements would remove existing protections. General secretary Eddie Dempsey said drivers who refused the proposed scheme could face displacement from their depots.

TfL rejects the claim about depot displacement. Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, said drivers could choose to remain on a five-day week and would have a guarantee of staying at the same depot. TfL says the proposal is voluntary and would mean drivers worked fewer hours overall. The Aslef union has backed the changes.

The RMT and TfL have been in talks for months, but have not resolved the disagreement. Business groups are seeking a settlement before the scheduled action affects journeys during one of the capital’s busiest trading periods.

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