UK strikes: Month of rail chaos begins with first 48 hours of action as walkout looms for nursing mothers
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The union congratulated its 40,000 members for the 48-hour strike which brought large parts of the rail network to a standstill.
The 48-hour strike by rail workers was “solidly supported”, causing travel chaos, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union said.
More strikes are planned in the coming weeks, threatening massive disruption to trains in the busy pre-Christmas period after RMT members rejected a 9 per cent pay rise offered by Network Rail.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is due to hold another meeting on Thursday with employers and the government, although there is little sign of a breakthrough in the bitter row.
Royal Mail staff joined rail workers to walk out on Wednesday.
And as nurses prepare to resume on Thursday, the head of NHS Employers said there remain real concerns about the level of cover nurses will provide to cancer patients over the next 24 hours.
Key points
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Stunning images
Royal Mail staff are on strike
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Members of the Communication Workers Union
(PA)
Jane Dalton December 15, 2022 07:00 am
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Rail chaos may occur on Sunday
Some passengers fear disruption following the 48-hour rail strike could last at least until Sunday as trains and drivers are misplaced.
Jane Dalton December 15, 2022 5:05 am
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The Minister of Transport “gave the opportunity for a deal to the northern railway companies
“It’s up to the unions to decide” whether they want train services in the north of England to improve, according to Transport Secretary Mark Harper.
The cabinet minister said he had given TransPennine Express and Northern “the scope they need to deliver a meaningful and generous” offer of day off work to drivers’ union Aslef.
Thousands of services have been canceled in the region at short notice in recent months.
Much of the disruption has been caused by workers no longer volunteering to do paid shifts on their days off, amid a crisis in industrial relations in the sector.
In a statement to parliament, Mr Harper wrote: “Aslef must enter into negotiations and offer any new deal to its members and, if accepted, do everything possible to make that deal work.
“TransPennine made a generous revised offer to Aslef and it was almost immediately rejected without being made available to members.
“It is up to the unions to decide if they want to improve services for the good of passengers and the wider economy of the North.”
Jane Dalton December 15, 2022 at 3:03 am
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Little hope for a breakthrough
More rail union strikes are planned in the coming weeks, threatening massive disruption to trains in the busy run-up to Christmas.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is due to hold another meeting on Thursday with employers and the government, but there is no sign of a breakthrough in the bitter row.
He said: “If all 16 days of action go ahead, over £300 million will be spent by the taxpayer to ensure that [train companies] suffer no financial damage.
“The cost of living crisis is accelerating out of control and the union movement is stepping in across multiple industries to protect workers.
“We send our heartfelt solidarity to nurses and their union RCN for their historic strike tomorrow, alongside our heroic postal workers who are striking over issues very similar to our own.”
Jane Dalton December 15, 2022 1:00 am
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Rail strike ‘solidly backed’
A 48-hour strike by rail workers has been “solidly supported”, causing travel chaos across the country, a union said on Wednesday.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) walked out on Tuesday in a long-running dispute over pay, work and conditions.
The union congratulated its 40,000 members for taking 48 hours of strike action which shut down large parts of rail transport across the country.
Mick Lynch said: “I congratulate RMT members who have shown tremendous dignity and unwavering fortitude during this 48-hour strike.
“They have shown how important their work is to the functioning of the economy and society as a whole.”
Jane Dalton December 14, 2022 11:00 pm
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NHS chiefs’ fears over nurse cover for cancer patients
Real concerns remain about the level of cover nurses will provide to cancer patients during Thursday’s strike, the head of NHS Employers has said.
In a letter to NHS chiefs, Danny Mortimer said some aspects of negotiations with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) had been disappointing and warned that “unless the Government shows a willingness to negotiate on pay issues, there will be further RCN strike dates for January 2023 and beyond’.
The letter, dated Wednesday, December 14 and seen by the PA news agency, said: “To be clear – real concerns remain.
“There are areas where we are disappointed that we have not been able to make more progress with the RCN, with limited national derogations for cancer services being a particular area of concern.”
Jane Dalton December 14, 2022 at 8:52 pm
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A football fan booked two flights to a match in Britain on the day of the train strike
A British football fan claims he booked two flights from Manchester to Birmingham to get to a football match in Coventry on the day of the train strike.
Twitter user @ASCFC_x, known only as Ashley, said he had discovered that flying through Dublin was cheaper than taking a bus between the two points in the UK.
Ashley posted a screenshot of Ryanair flights departing Manchester Airport at 8.05am on Saturday (December 17), connecting in Dublin and arriving in Birmingham at 11.45am. The football match will be held at Coventry Arena, 23 minutes’ drive away.
The fan claims his return flight cost him £22.
Fellow fans pointed out that National Express coach fares were available for £23.10, but Ashley replied that he found the air route both easier and cheaper.
“I booked a return flight for £21 and a national express single was £25, just made sense to take the flight, luckily I’ll be picked up from Broome airport and transported to Cove from there,” he explained in a follow-up tweet.
The tweet sparked a debate about the best way for football fans to circumvent December’s rail strikes.
Lucy Thackray December 14, 2022 5:30 pm
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Rail links to the airport will not be available for early flights on Thursday
Although the last train strike by members of the RMT union ends at 1.59am on Thursday, disruption to rail services will continue into the morning.
The exact provision is that Network Rail staff and train operators must not enter work until 2am at the earliest, meaning some night shifts will remain uncovered.
This means that airline passengers in the London area trying to get to an airport can face serious problems on early flights.
The first train from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport does not arrive until 7:49am, too late for the first wave of flights. All National Express buses from Victoria Coach Station to Gatwick before 8am are sold out.
At Luton Airport Parkway, the first arrival from London St Pancras international is at 7.41am. The first National Express coach from Victoria Bus Station is at 5.40am and arrives at 7.15am.
Stansted Airport is accessible by train from London Liverpool Street from 7.25am (arriving 8.15am). National Express has no coach seats available between 1.10am and 9.30am.
London Heathrow is always accessible at night by the N9 bus from Central London.
Simon Calder December 14, 2022 5:07 pm
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Transport for London trains in disarray as rush hour approaches
In the second day of the latest national rail strike, London-area commuters who rely on London Underground and the Elizabeth line are experiencing “severe delays” on some sections.
Sections of the Elizabeth line outside central London are currently suspended. Transport for London (TfL) said: “Severe delays between Paddington and Reading and between Liverpool Street and Shenfield due to strike action by National Rail staff.”
On the London Underground, the day was characterized by delays and cancellations of some lines.
The Hammersmith & City and Circle lines had staffing and congestion problems, sometimes with long delays. The North East segment of the Central Line, between Leytonstone and Epping, is experiencing “severe delays”.
TfL says there are minor delays on the rest of the line due to train cancellations.
Elsewhere, the south-west end of the County Line between Turnham Green and Richmond has been disrupted “due to strike action by National Rail staff”. The underground line is shared with rail services and is signaled by Network Rail staff.
(TfL)
Simon Calder December 14, 2022 4:45 pm
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Is there a train strike tomorrow?
There is no rail strike scheduled for tomorrow – the official RMT Union strike dates this week are December 13-14 and December 16-17 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday).
However, as with most rail strikes, operators expect disruption until the morning of Thursday, December 15, the “in-between” day.
Network Rail advises that “services will resume later in the morning”, with disruptions generally continuing on UK train routes until around 11am on the day after strike days. As with the strike days themselves, passengers hoping to use train networks first thing on Thursday should check with their train operator or the departures information at their local station for any disruptions.
The same will apply on Sunday (December 18), after the second 48-hour exit from RMT on Friday and Saturday; as well as 5 and 8 January, the days ‘between’ and ‘after’ around the RMT Union January strike dates.
Network Rail’s chart showing rail disruption in December
(network rail)
Lucy Thackray December 14, 2022 4:17 pm
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