Millions of Britons face a potentially chaotic Christmas break amid strikes by rail and airport border staff as unions accused ministers of causing the disruption by “disappearing” rather than negotiating pay.
The AA said motorists faced a “pre-Christmas traffic nightmare” on the eve of the bank holiday weekend as heavy rain and flooding added to disruption caused by widespread industrial action .
Most rail services will end at 3pm on Christmas Eve as thousands of RMT members at Network Rail start a strike three hours later, one that will last until 6am on December 27. Final intercity trains on most long-distance routes will depart between 8am and 1pm, while some routes will not run at all.
The RMT has said it is not targeting Christmas journeys as there are no passenger trains normally running over the Christmas holidays. But the rail industry said the timing of the strike meant passenger trains would have to be in depots before the action began.
The RMT accused ministers of “disappearing” with no further negotiations taking place since union and industry leaders met with Rail Minister Huw Merriman last week.
Union general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Until the government gives the rail industry a mandate to reach a negotiated agreement on job security, pay and working conditions, our industrial campaign will continue.”
The army took over passport control duties at six airports in Britain on Friday (Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cardiff), while Border Force officers began eight days of strikes during the holiday period
The worst-feared disruption for arriving passengers, who had been told to expect long queues and possible disruptions, did not materialise, with some passengers from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester claiming to have passed through the ‘immigration more quickly than usual.
But the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said action would escalate in the new year if pay offers were not met. With Newhaven seaport officials also on strike, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said members of the larger port of Dover could be called out next, potentially for six months of action between government departments.
Serwotka added: “I think in January what you’re going to see is a huge escalation of this action in the civil service and the rest of our economy, unless the government comes to the bargaining table.”
Rail companies and motoring organizations suggested the worst of the Christmas break may have been mitigated by people choosing to travel earlier in the week, with the RAC noting traffic peaks on Monday.
However, the AA said the roads were extremely busy on Friday, with more than half the usual number of daily breakdowns reported on its patrols before midday.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said the research showed that just under a third of adults chose to drive this year on journeys where they would have used the train. Parts of the M25 were closed due to morning flooding, while the AA also reported severe congestion on the M1 around Luton in both directions, the M20, M3, M4/M5 near Bristol , the M5 to the north of Birmingham, the M60 to the west. from Manchester and M8 near Glasgow.
King said: “After a slow start, the pre-Christmas traffic nightmare is getting worse. Today and tomorrow will be the busiest on the roads with around 17 million journeys each day.”
Ministers face a new year with a number of public sector unions pledging long-term strike action, which extends well beyond transport.
While the GMB announced on Friday that it was postponing a second strike by ambulance workers planned for December 28 until January 11, presented as a way of showing “thanks” for public support for the first stoppage, the Royal College of Nursing announced two new strikes. January dates
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Some unions have now indicated they could accept an improved wage deal below inflation. However, ministers are rigidly maintaining their position that it is impossible to go beyond the agreements offered months ago by the official wage review bodies.
Asked about the transport strikes during a visit to a homeless shelter in London on Friday, Rishi Sunak said he was “very saddened” by the disruption, insisting the government had “acted fairly and reasonably in accepting all the recommendations of the salary review of the public sector. bodies”.
Asked whether he was prepared to risk a long spell of stoppages, the Prime Minister said rising wage offers risked exacerbating inflation, calling it “the big economic challenge we all face.”
Even ahead of the main Christmas strike, RMT industrial action among train operators in England severely affected some services on Friday, with an overtime ban bringing many trains to an early halt South West, Chiltern and East Midlands on Friday.
Dozens of trains operated by TransPennine Express, Northern and Avanti were also cancelled, mainly due to ongoing problems with train staff.
Engineering work and strikes by the TSSA union at several train operators will further disrupt the railway until the new year, when five days of strikes by the RMT and drivers’ union Aslef will again end most services.
Rail passengers in the South East could face further disruption as the Prospect and TSSA unions announced strikes on the Elizabeth line on January 12, followed by a ban on overtime until the end of February. Transport for London said the impact on services was unclear.
A three-day strike by baggage handlers which could have increased problems for passengers arriving at Heathrow from December 29 has been called off by Unite after members agreed a 10.5% pay rise with businessman Menzies.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Far from blocking a deal, the transport secretary and rail minister have facilitated talks and ensured a fair and reasonable offer is put forward.
“After two years of virtual Christmases, the British public deserve better than to have their festive celebrations affected by strikes.”