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London Underground drivers are to stage a series of 24-hour strikes in the next few months in a dispute over working arrangements, the RMT union has announced.

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TUBE drivers have announced a series of 24-hour strikes over the Christmas period, bringing misery to shoppers over the festive period.

London Underground drivers have confirmed they will strike for eight days between November and February.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) have said today that they will walkout from November 26 and into the New Year.

The 24-hour strikes will begin at noon on November 26, as well as December 17 and 19, January 4 and 6 and February 17, 23 and 25.

This means that strikes will continue until the morning of Black Friday, which is on November 27 this year, and the last Saturday before Christmas.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “London Underground is attempting to dress up a wholesale attack on drivers’ working conditions as a voluntary four-day week.

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“But there is nothing voluntary about a scheme that forces drivers to give up existing protections whether they work four days or five, and threatens those who refuse with displacement from their depots.

“Our members are being asked to spend more time driving trains, accept longer and more unpredictable shifts and surrender agreements that have been negotiated and defended over many years.”

The RMT’s decision to strike comes as a result of long-running disputes over working arrangements.

Drivers believe that plans to introduce a four-day working week would increase time spent driving trains, longer duties, earlier starts and later finishes.

These fresh walkouts come after serious disruptions on the London Underground due to strikes in March and May.

The midday-to-midday format is thought to maximise the level of disruption, severely disrupting both the morning and evening rush hours.

Finn Brennan, Aslef’s (the British trade union for train drivers) full-time organiser on London Underground, said: “We are surprised that the RMT has, once again, decided to take strike action to try to prevent Underground drivers moving to a four-day week on a voluntary basis.

“We are in discussions with Transport for London about how the final details of this will work in practice.”