Tube Strikes and Employee Rights: What UK Workers Need to Know

With RMT Tube driver strikes planned for Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June 2026, London workers face disruption getting to workplaces that require in-person attendance. This raises practical questions about employment rights during travel disruption - including what employers can and cannot do if employees are late or unable to get in.

Can an employer dock pay if you are late due to a Tube strike?

In most cases, yes. Unless an employment contract specifically provides otherwise, employers are generally entitled to dock pay for time not worked, including lateness caused by travel disruption outside the employer's control. A transport strike does not automatically entitle employees to be paid for time they did not work at the workplace.

However, many employers choose not to enforce pay deductions for lateness caused by widespread public transport disruption, particularly if they have previously communicated flexibility. Employees should check their contract and any relevant policies, and communicate with their employer proactively before a strike day.

Working from home requests during strike days

Employees do not have an automatic legal right to work from home during a transport strike unless their contract includes a home-working provision. However, under the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023, employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment, and employers must consider requests reasonably.

A practical approach for the 2 and 4 June strike days is to request home working in advance, providing the employer time to assess whether the arrangement is feasible. Many employers operating hybrid working policies will accommodate this without difficulty.

Can an employer require attendance during a strike?

Employers can require attendance as per the employment contract, subject to reasonable adjustments. However, requiring attendance knowing that public transport is severely disrupted without offering any flexibility may in some circumstances be relevant to unfair dismissal or constructive dismissal claims, particularly if the employee has no practical means of getting to the workplace.

Employees who are disciplined for lateness or absence caused by a strike should check whether the employer applied the same standard consistently and whether any flexibility was afforded to similarly placed colleagues.

Travel expenses during strike days

There is no automatic legal entitlement to have alternative travel costs (taxis, Uber, cycling hire) reimbursed by the employer during a strike. Some employers choose to reimburse reasonable additional travel costs as a goodwill gesture. Employees should check company expense policies before assuming reimbursement will be available.

Self-employed workers and contractors are generally responsible for their own travel arrangements and bear the cost of any disruption directly.

This article is for informational purposes only. All facts sourced from publicly available reports at time of publication, 2 June 2026.

Sources: ACAS guidance on pay during transport disruption at acas.org.uk; Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 at legislation.gov.uk; gov.uk employment rights guidance.