Tube strikes scheduled for the final shopping weekend before Christmas have drawn criticism from Westminster’s Conservative council leader, who has urged the RMT and London Underground to settle their dispute over drivers’ working patterns.

Councillor Swaddle accused the union of trying to “steal Christmas from Londoners” after it announced eight 24-hour walkouts between November 2026 and February 2027. They include Thursday 17 December and Saturday 19 December, threatening disruption during a busy period for shops, restaurants and theatres.

The disagreement centres on proposals for a four-day working week. Transport for London presents the changes as a way to give drivers more choice while improving efficiency; the RMT argues that the arrangements threaten jobs and working conditions. The union says it is not opposed to a shorter working week in principle.

London Underground says drivers can choose to remain on a five-day week, with a guarantee that they can stay at their existing depot. Its director of customer operations, Nick Dent, said the proposals would give staff a meaningful choice without requiring them to change workplace, reduce their time at work and deliver a more efficient, reliable service.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “RMT is not opposed to a genuine four-day working week that benefits our members, but we will not accept it being used as a vehicle for job cuts, intensified working and the erosion of terms and conditions.”

He called on London Underground to withdraw the proposals and negotiate a settlement.

Swaddle said Westminster’s businesses had already endured a difficult year and criticised the prospect of walkouts on their busiest days. He also criticised Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, accusing Labour of standing by while the dispute continued.

“Get round the table, get this sorted and call off the strikes,” he said.

The full strike schedule is 26 November, 17 and 19 December 2026, followed by 4 and 6 January, and 17, 23 and 25 February 2027. Earlier strikes caused disruption and overcrowding on several lines.

The unresolved issue is whether London Underground’s offer of individual choice addresses the union’s wider concerns about staffing and workload. A guarantee over working days and depot location does not, by itself, settle that disagreement.