Rail passengers in Britain are enduring the longest and most damaging sequence of strikes for the reason that Eighties.
Industrial motion by rail staff has been happening since June and appears to be intensifying. October was the hardest-hit month up to now. Industrial motion is continuous into November.
Great Britain-wide rail strikes or extra localised stoppages came about virtually day by day throughout the first 10 days of October, with tens of millions of potential journeys disrupted; and the commercial motion continues for quite a few prepare operators.
The strife is high of the agenda for the brand new transport secretary, with three contemporary walk-outs deliberate by RMT members throughout England, Wales and Scotland for early November. The rail employers – represented by Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group – says: “Passengers should expect a week-long disruption due to further industrial action.”
What is the rail dispute about?
There are literally dozens of particular person disputes involving many employers:
- Network Rail – the infrastructure supplier, working the tracks, signalling and a few massive stations
- More than a dozen prepare operators, who’re contracted by the Department for Transport (DfT) to run a specified schedule of companies.
Four unions are concerned:
- RMT, the primary rail union
- Aslef, representing prepare drivers
- Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), the union for white-collar workers within the transport business
- Unite, representing some grades in some prepare operators
But key parts are widespread to all of the disputes:
- Pay, which the unions say ought to keep in mind the present excessive inflation
- Jobs, and particularly the prospect of obligatory redundancies
- Working situations – with the unions decided to extract a premium from any productiveness enhancements
Another factor has now crept in: an accusation of duplicity towards the employers.
The RMT basic secretary, Mick Lynch, mentioned the behaviour of Network Rail bosses triggered the most recent strike name: “On the one hand they were telling our negotiators that they were prepared to do a deal, while planning to torpedo negotiations by imposing unacceptable changes to our members terms and conditions.
“Our members are livid with these duplicitous tactics, and they will now respond in kind with sustained strike action.”
Network Rail flatly rejects these assertions and describes the forthcoming strikes as inflicting “unnecessary and entirely avoidable disruption for passengers”.
When are the subsequent nationwide strike days?
The RMT has referred to as a sequence of coordinated strikes.
Members working for Network Rail on Saturday 5, Monday 7 and Wednesday 9 November have been instructed to stroll out.
Staff employed by 14 prepare working firms may also be stopping work on 5 and 9 November.
The six long-distance prepare operators are:
- Avanti West Coast,
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- LNER
- Transpennine Express
Eight shorter-distance operators are additionally affected:
- c2c
- Chiltern Railways
- Greater Anglia
- GTR (together with Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express)
- Northern
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- West Midlands Trains
Additional strikes will happen on Thursday 10 November on the London Underground and Overground.
Wasn’t there a walk-out scheduled for Thursday 3 November?
Yes, however this has now been referred to as off and one other strike date, Wednesday 9 November, has been added.
The RMT mentioned: “Having been made aware of Royal British Legion London Poppy day on November 3rd, RMT NEC [National Executive Committee] has decided to re-arrange strike action for the 9th.”
Will any trains run?
Yes. The rail employers say: “Thousands of specially trained and fully qualified back-up staff will step in during the walkouts to keep vital services running for those who need them.”
The most results on travellers will probably be felt on the primary and third strike days , Saturday 5 November and Wednesday 9 November, when round one in 5 trains is more likely to run regardless of the stoppage by workers working for the prepare operators in addition to Network Rail.
LNER, which runs trains on the East Coast major line between Scotland, north-east England, Yorkshire and London, says “due to a combination of industrial action and engineering work” there will probably be no companies travelling additional south than Doncaster.
On Monday 7 November, when solely Network Rail workers are putting, a better share of companies might function.
But massive swathes of Great Britain with no rail companies in any respect due to the absence of Network Rail signallers.
Trains that do run will begin later and end a lot sooner than traditional, between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
The impression will prolong into the day following every nationwide strike, with all six days from 5 to 10 November inclusive affected.
Early trains the day after every strike will probably be cancelled, with round 75 per cent of companies more likely to run on Sunday 6 , Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 November.
South Western Railway says: “Only travel if absolutely necessary from Saturday 5 to Thursday 10 November.”
Trains that do run are more likely to be busy, as a result of many individuals who had hoped to journey on strike-hit days will probably be searching for to rearrange their journey.
Industrial motion in separate disputes involving members working for London Underground and London Overground will have an effect on folks travelling within the capital on 10 November.
Will Eurostar be affected?
Yes. Dozens of worldwide trains linking London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam have been cancelled, from as early as Thursday night, 3 November, and persevering with by way of to the next Thursday, 10 November. Some trains are being re-timed to slot in with Network Rail signalling hours.
Any different disruption?
Plenty. Train managers on Avanti West Coast who’re members of the RMT will stroll out on Sunday 6 November in a row over the imposition of rosters.
The prepare agency says: “Customers should expect our timetable and operating hours to be reduced significantly, and note that services that do run are expected to be busy.”
Further strikes by the drivers’ union, Aslef, are seemingly. Mick Whelan, the final secretary, mentioned: “The morally corrupt train companies signed contracts with the government to say they would not offer more than 2 per cent, knowing we have free collective bargaining, and do not work for the government.
“The train companies have been determined to force our hand. They are telling train drivers to take a real terms pay cut.”
In addition, morale throughout the rail business is low, with a number of prepare operators reporting higher-than-normal ranges of workers illness.
TransPennine Express, for instance, is working a diminished timetable to 10 December on the earliest, with dozens of further short-notice cancellations.
In addition, members of the TSSA are sustaining an extra time ban at TransPennine Express and Great Western Railway.
What’s occurring in Scotland?
Staff at ScotRail are presently refusing extra time as a part of a dispute over pay. ScotRail says: “The action short of a strike will see some daily cancellations, as the operation of ScotRail services requires rest day working and overtime as recruitment continues.
“We’re doing everything we can to minimise disruption, and to keep customers updated on which services are impacted.
“The best thing to do is to check your journey in the morning before you travel.”
What do the employers say?
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief govt, says: “A fair and affordable two-year 8 per cent deal, with heavily discounted travel and an improved offer of job security to January 2025, remains on the table.
“Our team have had extensive conversations with RMT representatives around the terms of a deal. Unfortunately, the unions seem to believe the taxpayer should fund bigger pay rises and are more intent on more damaging strikes than working with us to compromise and agree a deal.
“These strikes undermine the railway’s recovery from the pandemic and drive passengers away at a time when everyone involved in the railway should be focused on attracting more passenger.”
Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, says: “It is particularly disheartening that next weekend’s strike will hit the plans of thousands of rugby fans who are planning to travel to Cardiff for Wales v New Zealand as well as the other sports fixtures happening across the country.
“Further strikes mean that more of our people lose pay and there is less money to fund a pay rise. We urge the unions to recognise that the railway industry is facing very real financial challenge, and work with us towards a fair deal that offers a pay rise and includes the long-overdue changes to the industry so that our services are more reliable, more affordable and inspire more passengers back on board.”
Network Rail is a subsidiary of the DfT, and prepare operators are contracted by the division to run companies. So finally ministers name the pictures on pay and situations.
I’ve a ticket booked for a strike day. What are my choices?
The Rail Delivery Group says: ““Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strikes can use their ticket for travel the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Friday 11 November. Passengers can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.”
When will we hear about future strikes?
The rail unions should give 14 days discover of a strike, and often announce them near this deadline. When a sequence of strikes known as, as on 5-7-9 November, they’re introduced in a single go.
Be cautious about spending on occasions or lodges that may require you to journey by prepare.
While rail tickets will probably be refunded if the trains are cancelled, “consequential losses” is not going to be. So non-refundable spending will probably be misplaced should you can’t make the journey.
The RMT says: “The union will continue its industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working condition.”
Why isn’t there a steady strike of the type we’ve got seen previously?
Rail unions can impression virtually an entire week by stopping work for 3 days – inflicting most disruption for minimal lack of wages.
Are any components of the UK unaffected by these rail strikes?
Yes, up to now railways in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Wight line have prevented industrial motion.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk