RMT, the Four-Day Week Dispute, and the Politics of 23 April

The latest strike action by the RMT on the London Underground is not a new dispute. It is the continuation of a long-running conflict over who controls working conditions on the railway.
March’s planned strikes were called off after progress in talks. That raised expectations of a deal. Instead, negotiations have stalled, and the Trade Union has escalated it actions again, adding fresh dates through April, May and beyond.

At the centre is London Underground’s proposal for a four-day working week. On the surface, it looks like progress: a reduction from 36 to 35 hours, with paid meal breaks. But that framing appears misleading. This is not about working less. It is about working differently.

Compressed hours normally mean longer shifts. Longer shifts often mean increased fatigue. For safety-critical staff, that is not a minor issue it can be a fundamental one. It appears that RMT members have already rejected the proposal. The dispute now turns on whether management can impose it anyway.

Pay figures will inevitably be dragged into the argument. Average Tube driver salaries have risen from around £58,000 to over £68,000 in recent years. That will be used to undermine the case for action. But this is not primarily a pay dispute. It is about workload, safety, and control over the working day.

Which brings us to the choice of 23 April.

This is not just another strike date. It is St George’s Day, England’s national day and that raises a bigger question the Labour Party supporting Trade Union movement has never properly answered. what do we actually think about St George’s day?

Unlike most European countries, England does not mark its national day with a public holiday. Workers across England do not get the day off. There are no guaranteed celebrations, no pause in economic life. St George’s Day exists more as a token than a meaningful national event.

So, what does it mean for a Trade Union to strike on that day? On one level, it guarantees attention. Midweek strikes already maximise disruption, and the RMT’s midday-to-midday model is designed to stretch that disruption across multiple days. From a tactical standpoint, it fits.

But politically, it is more complicated.

St George’s Day is supposed to represent national day of celebration, then why is it not a Bank Holiday? Why are workers expected to treat it as significant while still turning up for work as normal? There is a contradiction there and one the Trade Union movement should be challenging head-on.

Striking on 23 April exposes that contradiction, but it does not resolve it. If anything, it risks reinforcing the idea that the day has no real substance beyond symbolism.

There is an argument that Trade Unions should be leading the demand to make St George’s Day a proper public holiday in England, ‘a day off for working people’, not just a date on the calendar. That would be a clear, message. It would also place the Trade Union movement firmly on the side of want workers want, rather than them being drawn into cultural side-arguments. The Trade Union movement has to acknowledge that St Andrew’s Day is already a Bank Holiday in Scotland and Scottish workers enjoy a day of Scottish celebration. Surely Trade Unions need to campaign to give the same opportunity to England and Wales who are both wanting a day of celebration as well.
 
Instead, the current approach feels like a missed opportunity. If the aim is maximum leverage, a Bank Holiday strike would hit harder, economically and politically. If the aim is public support, then aligning with a demand for a new workers’ holiday would be far more compelling.

The dispute itself is straightforward. Employers want flexibility. Workers are pushing back on fatigue, safety, and imposed change. The four-day week is the vehicle, not the destination.
But the choice of 23 April opens up a wider question. Not just about strategy, but about what the Trade Union movement stands for.

St George’s Day matters for England, so there should practical consequences such as time off and most importantly, a day when the communities across England can celebrate and come together. If it does not, then it is just another working day and that is a ‘terrible shame’ for the Trade Union movement.

As Stephen Morris, General Secretary, Workers of England Union said:

‘St George’s Day is the day to celebrate England and it should offer working people with a day off, a genuine English Trade Union movement should represent something real, with a benefit of time off, not just symbolism. The Trade Union movement should be leading the charge for that, not ignoring the opportunity. Scotland already has a Bank Holiday for St Andrew’s Day, Be assured the Workers of England Union is calling for St George’s Day to become a Bank Holiday in England and St David’s Day to become a Bank Holiday in Wales as well.”