Tube drivers have voted in favour of a four-day work week, with London Underground bosses agreeing to bring forward the proposal.
The agreement would see rosters of 34 hours a week, giving drivers an extra day off every week and four and a half hours fewer at work every week, said UK train drivers’ union Aslef, which represents around 2,000 Tube drivers
The proposal also includes a paid meal break for drivers.
Finn Brennan, Aslef’s full-time organiser on London Underground, said: “Despite a campaign of disinformation and distortion by those who want to prevent drivers having improved working conditions and a better work-life balance, our members have voted in favour of the proposal by 70 per cent on an 80 per cent turnout in an independently audited referendum.
“As a majority of members have voted in favour of the proposal, we will now be writing to the company to inform them of the result and to arrange a meeting to start detailed discussions on implementation,” he added.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson told BBC News: “We have set out to our trade unions how a four-day working week might work.
“The changes would not require any changes to the number of contractual hours worked by drivers or any increase in drivers’ annual leave, and would improve reliability, improve our ability to flexibly deploy our drivers and enable us to offer a modern and efficient service while creating no additional cost.”
TfL initially announced its proposal for a four-day week in November, the same month that union strike action was to go ahead over pay.
A week before, Aslef announced that strikes planned for November 7 and November 12 had been suspended.
Mr Brennan said in November: “Following fresh talks, and an improved offer, Aslef has agreed to suspend our planned industrial action on London Underground.”
However, earlier this month, Tube drivers within the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) rejected the offer put forward by TfL for a four-day working week.
A TfL spokesperson added to The Times: “We’re aware that both trade unions have run a referendum of their members and we await all results. We will continue to engage with our trade unions about the four-day week and other points that would make London Underground better for our colleagues and our customers.”
The Independent has contacted TfL for further comment.
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