Tube strikes expected to cost hospitality £50m

The hospitality industry could lose up to £50m from next week’s tube strikes, UKHospitality has warned.

Industrial action is due to start on the evening of Sunday 7 January and will last until the morning of Friday 12 January, with little to no London Underground services expected to run between Monday 8 January and Thursday 11 January.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “We estimate that the impact to the sector from next week’s tube strike could be up to £50m.

“And that figure is on top of the lost £4b in sales over the past 18 months that hospitality businesses have already had to absorb from ongoing transport strikes.”

She added: “January is already one of the quieter trading months of the year for hospitality, where every sale counts, and this disruption will make the start to the year even more challenging. We need all parties to come together to urgently reach a resolution and bring to an end this long-running disruption.”

Transport for London (TfL) revealed it is in talks with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT).

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said tube workers will not accept “poor offers” over pay and conditions.

It comes after the RMT union extended its strike mandate on the London Underground for a further six months in November 2023.

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