Last week, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced a series of 24-hour strikes by London Underground drivers over the coming weeks as part of an ongoing dispute over working conditions.
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Action is set to begin on Thursday 26 November, with further walkouts planned for Thursday 17 December and 19 Saturday December.
Each strike is scheduled to begin at midday and last until midday the following day, meaning disruption is expected to affect afternoon and evening travel, as well as the following morning’s services.
Ahead of the walkouts, Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) CEO Michael Kill warned further tube strikes in the crucial run-up to Christmas was the last thing London’s nightlife and hospitality sector needed, particularly following a “deeply disappointing Budget”.
Financial pressures
“Businesses are already facing enormous financial pressures, rising operating costs and fragile consumer confidence,” he continued.
“The golden quarter represents a critical trading period for thousands of venues, many of which depend on festive revenues to survive the quieter months ahead.
“Further transport disruption risks devastating footfall, triggering cancellations and stripping vital revenue from businesses already operating on a knife-edge.”
Kill added while the association recognised the importance of workers’ rights, the wider economic consequences “cannot be ignored”.
He said: “Our sector cannot continue to be collateral damage in industrial disputes.
“We urgently call on the RMT and Transport for London to reach a resolution before these strikes take place.
Fight for survival
“Following a Budget that offered little hope, the last thing our sector needs is a transport shutdown during its most important trading period. Christmas should be an opportunity for recovery, not another fight for survival.”
The fresh strikes come after years of disruption for London’s hospitality sector due to industrial action, significantly impacting venues across the capital.
UKHospitality (UKH) previously estimated the September 2025 strikes cost hospitality and tourism businesses in London £110m, with reduced footfall and customers avoiding journeys into the capital affecting pubs, bars, restaurants and other leisure venues.
The disruption highlighted the wider economic consequences of transport uncertainty, with businesses facing lost sales even before industrial action began.
Research by Access Hospitality also found bookings at restaurants and other hospitality venues fell by as much as 67% during wider strike disruption during the same month, while cancellations increased by more than half.
