Tube drivers offered £80,000 a year in new TfL pay deal

Transport for London (TfL) put a revised offer to the capital’s four Tube unions on Monday in an effort to head off more strikes. 

Tube drivers currently make about £71,000.

This follows a five-day September walkout by RMT members that brought the Underground to a halt.

Passengers faced crowded buses, long queues and gridlocked roads, with most Tube lines closed for much of the week.

Under the package, a driver’s base pay would increase from £71,170 to a minimum of £77,692 by April 2027 – higher if inflation stays above three per cent.

Station staff on roughly £45,000 could see their pay rise to nearly £50,000.

TfL has called the proposal its “full and final offer”, covering all 16,500 London Underground staff.

There is no “no-strike” clause, but managers hope the terms will deter further ballots on industrial action. 

The revised three-year agreement keeps the headline promise of annual increases linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) and now adds minimum guarantees if inflation falls.

In the third year, pay would rise by RPI plus 0.2 percentage points to ensure wages stay ahead of living costs.

The offer does not change TfL’s position on working hours, rejecting the RMT call for a 32-hour, four-day week.

Station staff will remain on 35 hours over five days, while a 35-hour, four-day pilot for drivers continues.

The pay terms are:

• 2025/26: 3.4% increase, matching February 2025 RPI, backdated to April.
• 2026/27: Rise in line with February 2026 RPI, with a minimum of 3%.
• 2027/28: Increase of 0.2 points above February 2027 RPI, with at least a 2.5% rise.

TfL Commissioner Andy Lord told the TfL board: "We hope the [unions] will accept, and put the proposal to their members, and that we can reach agreement as soon as possible."

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey told LBC: "We’re still in negotiations, we’re making progress, we’re going through the usual steps, consulting our members, and that will continue over the coming days".

Asked if he could rule out future strikes, he added: "Absolutely not. We’re never afraid to negotiate but we’re never afraid to fight for our members".

Aslef, which represents most Tube drivers, will meet later this week to consider the offer and is expected to recommend acceptance.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will use a speech to business leaders tonight to renew his call for Government investment in major transport projects – including extending the DLR to Thamesmead, the Bakerloo line to Lewisham, and the West London Orbital route.

He is expected to say: "Take Thamesmead. It’s only a mile north of Abbey Wood, where the Elizabeth line has fuelled a housebuilding boom.

"But a lack of transport links mean Thamesmead has struggled. Extending the DLR to Thamesmead could support the construction of up to 30,000 homes, creating 10,000 jobs."

Mr Khan will urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves to fund at least one of the projects in next month’s Budget, calling them crucial to "transforming the future of transport in the capital".