UK strikes: Month of rail chaos kicks off with first 48 hours of action as sick leave targeted
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Those traveling across Britain today have been warned to expect major disruption as 48-hour national rail strikes entered a second day.
Only one in five trains are expected to run today, adding to passenger travel woes ahead of the Christmas period.
Many industries are set to stage their own strikes this month and Royal Mail staff are joining rail workers to walk out today.
Around 40,000 Network Rail workers and 14 train operating companies are taking part in the December and January walkouts, which are planned to cause as much disruption as possible as travelers try to get around during the holidays.
The strikes continued after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union rejected a 9% pay rise offered by Network Rail.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch claimed there was overwhelming support for industrial action, while blaming former transport secretary Grant Shapps for blocking a solution to the six-month rail dispute.
He told The Independent: “I think Grant Shapps still has a hand in it, because they [the cabinet] do a ’round robin’ on proposals”.
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The minister says it is “up to the unions” if Northern train services are improved
According to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, it is “up to the unions to decide” whether they want train services in the north of England to improve.
The cabinet minister claimed it gave TransPennine Express and Northern “the scope they need to make a meaningful and generous offer” of a day off to drivers’ union Aslef.
Thousands of services across the region have been canceled at short notice in recent months.
Much of the disruption has been caused by workers no longer volunteering for paid shifts on days off, amid an industry-wide labor relations crisis.
In a statement to Parliament, Harper wrote: “Aslef must enter into negotiations and put any new deal to its members and, if accepted, do everything possible to make that deal work.
“TransPennine has made a generous revised offer to Aslef and it was almost immediately rejected without being presented to members.
“It is up to the unions to decide if they want to improve services, for the sake of passengers and the wider economy in the North.”
Harper said he is in favor of “completely severing the railroad’s reliance on labor on days off.”
He added: “No successful modern business depends on the goodwill of its staff to deliver to its customers at night and at the weekend.
“I want a railroad with rewarding jobs, hired to provide all the services promised to the public.”
Neil Lancefield December 14, 2022 3:17 p.m
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The railway union announces new strike dates
A rail union has announced further strikes at two train operators in the days after Christmas.
The Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) said around 700 of its members from West Midlands Trains (WMT) and Great Western Railway (GWR) will walk out in an ongoing dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The strike at GWR takes place for 24 hours from midday on Wednesday 28 December and at WMT for 24 hours from midday on Wednesday 28 December.
In the case of WMT, this cancels and replaces a strike previously planned for December 17.
The pre-strike action will continue until early January at both companies.
TSSA is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no unagreed changes in terms and conditions and a pay rise to meet the rising cost of living.
TSSA organizing director Nadine Rae said: “Our members at West Midlands Trains and Great Western Railway do not want to go on strike, particularly over the Christmas holiday period, but they are sick and tired of being taken for granted.
“They deserve a pay rise to help manage the rising cost of living and rightly demand job security. Train operators under the control of the Department for Transport must face the fact that only serious offers that fulfill our aspirations will put an end to this dispute.
“Railway workers are looking for basic fair treatment: not to be fired from their jobs; a fair wage increase in the face of the cost of living crisis; and no race to the bottom in terms and conditions.
“So far the strike action taken by these members has been very effective and will be again, with more trains coming to a standstill unless rail bosses and the government do the right thing for our members and our precious rail network which so many people trust. switched on”.
Alan Jones, PA Industry CorrespondentDecember 14, 2022 2:38 p.m
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The Eurostar strikes cancelled
Planned strikes by security guards at Eurostar this week have been called off.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union employed by contractor Mitie were due to walk out on Friday and Sunday in a dispute over pay.
Talks over wages are continuing, with further strikes expected next week if the dispute is not resolved.
Mitie said he has contingency plans if the action continues.
An RMT spokesman said: “The union has suspended planned strikes this week to allow Mitie’s safety members to take part in a referendum on the company’s latest offer to be concluded on December 19. The days’ strikes December 22 and 23 next week continue in the present day.”
Eurostar pointed out that none of its staff were involved in the dispute. The workers involved are Mitie security staff at Eurostar’s London St Pancras terminal.
Alan Jones, PA Industry CorrespondentDecember 14, 2022 2:03 p.m
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What are the demands of the railway workers against the current offer on the table?
Network Rail bosses have been in intensive negotiations since the RMT called the latest strike, which has also involved other unions.
On 4 December Network Rail made an offer. Union members Unite agreed and these employees have called off planned industrial action. But the RMT put the deal to a referendum of its members with a recommendation to reject it.
RMT announced on 12 December that 63.6% of members (out of an 83% share) rejected Network Rail’s latest pay offer.
Read our guide to everything we know about the deal offered by Network Rail, why it was rejected and what members of the RMT union are demanding:
Simon Calder December 14, 2022 1:32 p.m
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The Bakerloo and Overground lines are suspended in London
It may not be an official Tube strike today, but parts of London’s TfL network are still experiencing disruption.
On the Bakerloo line, there is no service between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone; while on the London Overground, there is no service between Barking and Barking Riverside, and Romford and Upminster, due to industrial action.
There is also currently no service on the Overground between Watford Junction and Harrow & Wealdstone, TfL says “while we repair the signal damage at Carpenders Park”.
The District line is out of service between Turnham Green and Richmond due to strikes.
The Elizabeth line has serious delays between Paddington and Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. On strike days, Elizabeth Line trains only run between 7.30am and 5.30pm between Liverpool Street NR station and Shenfield and Paddington NR station to Heathrow / Reading.
Aside from the strikes, the Central line is experiencing heavy delays due to an earlier fire alert; while the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Waterloo & City, Tram and Piccadilly lines are experiencing minor delays as we move into Wednesday afternoon.
Here’s the full breakdown of the disruption expected by TfL on strike days this week:
Lucy Thackray December 14, 2022 12:48 p.m
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Canceled trains add to the woes of the rail strike
Trains run on around half of Britain’s rail network during limited hours (usually 7.30am to 6.30pm), with around 30 per cent of normally scheduled services running.
Most trains run smoothly, mainly because congestion is much less important than on normal days.
But across the country various issues are causing additional cancellations.
Several trains from London King’s Cross to Letchworth in Hertfordshire have been canceled “at the request of the train operator”.
The train breakdowns led to cancellations between London Waterloo, the UK’s busiest station, and Windsor.
In the West Midlands, some local services between Birmingham New Street and Northampton have been delayed by an hour or more and cancellations have occurred.
CrossCountry has experienced delays between Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
Some local services from Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central have been canceled due to train failure.
Simon Calder December 14, 2022 12:09 p.m
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Illness of ‘double normal fare’ staff causes cancellation of one in 20 Northern trains
One in 20 services run by Northern Trains is canceled due to staff illness, MPs say.
The Transport Select Committee is taking evidence on rail provision in the north of England. There have been large-scale cancellations on TransPennine Express and Northern Trains.
Nick Donovan, Northern’s managing director, revealed that around 7 per cent of trains are cancelled, with 70 per cent of those due to sickness absence.
This represents one in 20 of the northern services that have been canceled because staff are sick.
Donovan said staff illness was the operation’s biggest problem at the moment.
“Right now, our disease levels are running at double the normal rates, and some reservoirs are up 14 percent.”
Simon Calder December 14, 2022 11:15 am
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“It has barely become possible to travel around the north of England by train”
MPs on the Transport Select Committee have been told: “It has barely become possible to travel around the north of England by train”.
The committee is holding a special session on train services in the north of England. The first witness was Jennifer…