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River Thames Lock and Weir Keeper Industrial action: advice and support
Current situation
We were notified on Monday 16 June 2025 that the planned River Thames Lock and Weir Keeper industrial action due to start at 6pm on 17 June will not be going ahead.
Members of the GMB union amongst our River Thames Lock and Weir Keepers have agreed to suspend their ‘action short of a strike’ following negotiations over recent weeks and a meeting on Friday 13 June. We were able to agree a mutually satisfactory level of staff during the peak summer boating period. The GMB and lock staff will now consider other elements of the offer we have made before deciding on next steps.
We will share more information in due course. Going forward, we are committed to continuing to work with and listen to our lock and weir keepers to modernise the service we offer.
This page has the latest news and information about Lock and Weir Keeper industrial action on the River Thames.
We will update this page regularly so please keep coming back for the most up to date news.
We want to hear from you!
Use our "Your Questions" tool at the bottom of the page to ask us your questions about this industrial action.
Tell us what you think of this page and how we could improve what we share with you by filling in our quick survey.
You may need to register by providing your email address before you can use these tools. You can do this by clicking the green "Register" button to get involved.
Current situation
We were notified on Monday 16 June 2025 that the planned River Thames Lock and Weir Keeper industrial action due to start at 6pm on 17 June will not be going ahead.
Members of the GMB union amongst our River Thames Lock and Weir Keepers have agreed to suspend their ‘action short of a strike’ following negotiations over recent weeks and a meeting on Friday 13 June. We were able to agree a mutually satisfactory level of staff during the peak summer boating period. The GMB and lock staff will now consider other elements of the offer we have made before deciding on next steps.
We will share more information in due course. Going forward, we are committed to continuing to work with and listen to our lock and weir keepers to modernise the service we offer.
This page has the latest news and information about Lock and Weir Keeper industrial action on the River Thames.
We will update this page regularly so please keep coming back for the most up to date news.
We want to hear from you!
Use our "Your Questions" tool at the bottom of the page to ask us your questions about this industrial action.
Tell us what you think of this page and how we could improve what we share with you by filling in our quick survey.
You may need to register by providing your email address before you can use these tools. You can do this by clicking the green "Register" button to get involved.
We were notified on Monday 16 June 2025 that the planned River Thames Lock and Weir Keeper industrial action due to start at 6pm on 17 June will not be going ahead.
Members of the GMB union amongst our River Thames Lock and Weir Keepers have agreed to suspend their ‘action short of a strike’ following negotiations over recent weeks and a meeting on Friday 13 June. We were able to agree a mutually satisfactory level of staff during the peak summer boating period. The GMB and lock staff will now consider other elements of the offer we have made before deciding on next steps.
We will share more information in due course. Going forward, we are committed to continuing to work with and listen to our lock and weir keepers to modernise the service we offer.
We have received notice that from Tuesday 17 June through to Wednesday 2 July GMB union members among our lock and weir keepers on the Thames intend to take action short of a strike. This will consist of no voluntary overtime and the non-use of personal vehicles.
We are continuing discussions with the unions to try to resolve this. We are also working to mitigate the impacts of this planned action.
On Friday 23 May the GMB Union confirmed that their members amongst our lock and weir keepers on the non-tidal River Thames voted in favour of industrial action. We are disappointed with this outcome, but remain committed to working with our staff and the GMB to resolve this issue.
We do not know yet what form any industrial action might take, but our planning to mitigate any effects, including on our water level management capability, is well underway. We will also ensure that we provide clear and timely guidance to those boaters, businesses, and communities should any impacts be identified.
