The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has called a seven-day strike on the London Underground beginning 5 September after talks with management over pay and working conditions collapsed. The action will start with a 24-hour walkout by staff at the Ruislip depot and widen from 7 September, when different grades of employees are scheduled to strike on successive days across the network. RMT said London Underground had “refused to engage seriously” on wage demands and on previous agreements covering staffing levels and fatigue management. Transport for London is offering a 3.4% pay rise and argues that reductions to the existing 35-hour work-week are unaffordable. The stoppage threatens to shut much of the capital’s underground rail system at the end of the summer holidays, disrupting millions of commuter and tourist journeys and raising concerns among business groups about further pressure on the city’s already sluggish growth. Workers on the Docklands Light Railway are also planning coordinated action, amplifying the potential impact. The dispute comes amid a broader wave of industrial unrest in the UK’s public sector, fuelling warnings of an “autumn of discontent” that could stretch from transport to health services if no settlements are reached.