TfL Ref: FOI-1931-1617
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9 January 2017 asking for information about strike action. Please accept my apologies for the delay in our response.
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.
A strike is what is normally referred to as a withdrawal of labour from an organised group of employees in protest to 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.
Please see the information you have requested below regarding industrial action on London Underground since 2008 which is as far back as we hold. 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.
However, please note that we do not hold data on the number, length or type of industrial action on buses as these are operated by private companies.
| Year | Nature of Dispute | Strike Dates | Line / Network |
| 2017 | 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 |
| Breakdown of Industrial Relations | 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 |
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Lee Hill
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
