Our Ref:         FOI-1427-1819

Thank you for your request received on 23 August 2018 asking for information about days lost to strike action.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

I would like to please request a breakdown of days (or hours) lost to strikes or industrial action broken down by tube line, DLR, Train Line or other service operated by TfL please.

If you have the data it would be great to have it for the last 10 years please.

A strike is what is normally referred to as a withdrawal of labour by an organised group of employees in protest at the organisation’s action or proposed course of action in a particular matter. The impact of any strike action taken against the organisation varies and is dependent on the nature of the dispute, the number of unions involved and where the strike has been called. Therefore the impact of the strikes listed below vary from affecting the whole tube network to localised action affecting only part of the network.

We encourage unions to engage in discussions to resolve any disputes that may result in industrial action. When it has not been possible to prevent industrial action, we roll out well prepared operational plans to ensure that services operate safely at all times under busier than normal conditions. We deploy additional staff (including managers and revenue control staff) to assist local staff and provide advice to customers. We issue communications to inform customers that services will be busier than usual. Extra bus and river services are operated to help people get around, and we continue to update the TfL website as well as our other social media outlets which we encourage our customers to check frequently to see how their journeys could be affected.

The dates provided are the information we hold but there may be some differences from actual strike dates due to the varying start and finish times of such action having different impact on each day’s service. Please note that the effect of these strikes on our services varied and may have been localised.

Please find the requested information for London Underground detailed in the table below:

Year Nature of Dispute Strike Dates Line / Network
2018 Breakdown in Industrial Relations 22/08/18 - 24/08/18 Central Line (Depot)
  05/08/18 Central Line (Depot)
  12/07/18 – 13/07/18 Central Line (Depot)
  13/04/2018 Central Line (Depot)
2017 Disciplinary action against station staff 07/05/17 – 08/05/ 17 London Bridge Station (Northern & Jubilee lines)
 Displacement of Train Operators 21/02/17- 22/02/17 Central Line (Depot)
 Station Staffing and Safety Arrangements 08/01/17 to 09/01/17 Network wide
2016 Christmas and New Year Working 24/12/16 to 25/12/16 Hammersmith & City Line and District Line
 Breakdown of Industrial Relations 23/03/16 to 24/03/16 Piccadilly Line
  15/09/16 to 16/09/16 Hammersmith & City Line and District Line
2015 Employee Terms and Conditions 28/09/2015 Waterloo & City Line
 Dismissal of Employee 07/03/15 to 08/03/15 Network wide
 Pay, Night Tube and Every Job Matters  08/07/15 to 09/07/15 Network wide
  05/08/15 to 06/08/15 Network wide
2014 Dismissal of Employee 01/12/14 to 02/12/14 Northern Line
 Breakdown in Industrial Relations 22/08/14 to 23/08/14 Central Line
 Employee Terms and Conditions 28/04/14 to 30/04/14 Network wide
  24/05/14 to 27/05/14 Network wide
  01/07/14 to 09/07/14 Network wide
  09/07/14 to 15/07/14 Network wide
 Every Job Matters 04/02/14 to 06/02/14 Network wide
  09/05/14 to 10/05/14 Network wide
  13/06/14 to 14/06/14 Network wide
2012 Breakdown in Industrial Relations 26/12/2012 Network wide
2011 Boxing Day Payments 26/12/2011 Network wide
 Relations with Reps and Activists 19/06/2011 Network wide
 Dismissal of Employee 14/01/11 to 15/01/11 Northern Line
2010 Dismissal of Employee 17/12/10 to 18/12/10 Bakerloo Line
 Boxing Day Payments 26/12/2010 Network wide
 Dismissal of Employee 06/09/10 to 07/09/10 Central Line
 Reorganisation 06/09/2010 Network wide
  05/02/2010 Network wide
 Breakdown of Industrial Relations 21/07/2010 Metropolitan Line
  11/08/2010 Metropolitan Line
 Dismissal of Employee 23/12/2009 Jubilee Line
2009 Rates of Pay and Conditions of Service 09/06/09 to 11/06/09 Network wide
 Breakdown of Industrial Relations 21/04/09 to 22/04/09 Victoria Line
  20/05/09 to 21/05/09 Victoria Line
  08/04/09 to 09/04/09 Jubilee Line
2008 Breakdown of Industrial Relations 22/08/08 to 23/08/08 District Line
 Transfer of Customer Service Assistants 07/08/08 to 08/08/08 Metropolitan Line
 Dismissal of Employee 27/07/08 to 28/07/08 Bakerloo Line
  22/08/08 to 23/08/08 Bakerloo Line

The DLR has been directly affected by strike action on two occasions over the last 10 years:

• November 2015: a two-day strike on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November 2015. A limited train service operated over part of the DLR with no service over the rest of the DLR network.
• March 2018: a two-day strike on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th March 2018. A limited train services operated over part of the DLR with no service over the rest of the DLR network.

DLR has also on occasions been indirectly affected by strikes on London Underground, which have meant that DLR trains have been unable to serve stations which are managed by London Underground.

There has not been a strike on London Overground. The performance of London Overground has been impacted by strikes on London Underground.

The nearest there has been to a network wide strike on the bus network in the last 7 years was Unite Industrial Action in January and February 2015 which affected most bus operators, who operate London’s bus services on our behalf. It was not a complete network walk out as some services did run. Both of these strikes were for 24 hours but were spread over two days. We do not hold information on “lost hours”.

If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]