London prepares for New Year’s rail strike as commuters return to work

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Travel workers face travel misery due to return to work on Tuesday as a new wave of rail strike is expected to wreak havoc throughout the entire working week.

The recent strike by some 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will shut down most rail services across the country as many will return to travel after the festive period.

Network Rail’s RMT members and 14 train operators will hold two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers at the Aslef Union will strike on Thursday.

Passengers have been warned to expect “significant disruption” as only a limited number of trains will be running.

Passengers are facing canceled trains as railway workers strike

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The advice is to only travel when absolutely necessary, allow extra time and check when the first and last trains leave.

There may also be a disruption to services on Sunday 8 January as striking workers return to duties.

On RMT strike days, about half of the network will be closed with only about 20% of normal services running.

Trains that run later will start and finish much earlier than normal, with services normally running between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the day of the strike.

Passengers queuing for a bus

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Transport for London has warned that the strikes will also disrupt several Tube lines.

The Bakerloo Line will not have a service between Queens Park and Harrow & Wealdstone on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the strike.

Both the Circle and Elizabeth line will have a reduced service while the District line will be without service between Parsons Green and Wimbledon from 5.30am to 6.30pm on both days.

A strike by train drivers by Aslef members on 5 January will affect 15 operators and lead to fewer services running, with some companies running “extremely reduced” schedules.

United Kingdom: Train Strike | December 2022

Passengers watch departure boards at Kings Cross station in London

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Mick Lynch (center) general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union joins members of a picket line outside London Euston train station during a strike in a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions

Palestinian Authority

Passengers watch departure boards at Kings Cross station in London

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A man carries suitcases at an empty Paddington Station

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A man looks at the departure board at Euston train station in London

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Passengers watch departure boards at Kings Cross station in London

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Waterloo station

Jeremy Selwyn

A man carries suitcases at an empty Paddington station

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Euston station

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Euston station

Jeremy Selwyn

South Eastern trains stop in wards near Ashford station in Kent

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Commuters at Euston station

Jeremy Selwyn

Commuters wait in the courtyard of Euston station, while railway workers strike over wages and conditions, in London

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Paddington station is empty

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Hundreds of tourists trying to reach Gatwick have been left angry that the Gatwick Express has been suspended

John Dunn

Icy conditions are expected to disrupt transport in London for another day while train strikes will also create chaos in the travel network.

Jeremy Selwyn

Twickenham station

Gareth Richman

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Euston station

Jeremy Selwyn

Waterloo station

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A south-eastern train winds its way through Ashford in Kent where rail services are still disrupted in the icy weather

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Waterloo station

Jeremy Selwyn

Waterloo station

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Waterloo station

Jeremy Selwyn

RMT also has an overtime ban on 14 train operating companies through Monday which will affect the level of cancellations and punctuality for some services.

RMT chairman Mick Lynch told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he hoped the new year would bring steps towards a deal but there had been “radio silence” from the government since mid-December.

Railway workers have been offered a pay rise of 5 percent over last year and 4 percent in 2023 – with a guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies before 2025. In addition, a discount system has been proposed for families of railway workers. This offer was rejected by the RMT in December.

“I hope we can all work towards an agreement, but we haven’t heard from anyone officially since mid-December,” said Lynch.

“The government will not simply give a mandate to the employers, the rail network and the train operators to allow this deal to be resolved. They are sitting on their hands and taking note of their absence from this scene.

“They keep saying they make it easier to come to an agreement. And I think it’s quite the opposite.

“They put an obstacle to the deal and are more of an obstacle than a facilitator.”

He said “reasonable” proposals would mean an end to the ongoing disruption.

“Everyone keeps telling me I’ve caused a massive disturbance and I’m against the spirit of Christmas and all the rest.

We don’t want disruption, we want settlement. There has been a lot of disruption on the railways due to government policy and if we can get reasonable proposals, we can work towards a solution.”

Mick Lynch from RMT (Jonathan Brady/PA)

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RMT is campaigning against plans to close ticket offices, cut jobs and move the industry to a large-scale, drivers-only operation.

The Transport Ministry has rejected allegations that it has not been in contact with the union in recent weeks, saying it is pressing for a solution, although it accepts that no formal meeting has been held with ministers since December 15.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Passengers are justly tired of rail strikes and want the disruption to end.

“The government has proven to be reasonable and willing to facilitate the resolution of railway disputes. It is time for the unions to come to the negotiating table and do their part too.

“Inflation-matching wage increases for all public sector workers will cost everyone more in the long run – exacerbating debt, fueling inflation and costing each household an extra £1,000.

Unions must step back from this strike so that we can start 2023 by ending this harmful dispute.

Mick Whelan, Aslive’s general secretary, said his union would “be involved in it for a long time”, adding: “We don’t want to go on strike but companies have pushed us into this place.

“They haven’t offered our members a penny and these are the people who haven’t been given a raise since April 2019.

This means that they expect the train drivers at these companies to cut wages in real terms – to work as hard for much less – when inflation is north of 14%.

“The train companies say their hands are tied by the government while the government – which does not employ us – says it is up to the companies to negotiate with us.

“We are always happy to negotiate – we never refuse to sit at the table and talk – but these companies have given us nothing, and that is unacceptable.”

Daniel Mann, Director of Industrial Operations for the Rail Delivery Group, said: “No one wants to see these strikes go forward and we can only apologize to passengers and to the many businesses that will be affected by this unnecessary and damaging disruption.

“We advise passengers to travel only if absolutely necessary during this period, allow them extra time and check when their first and last train departs.

Passengers with tickets January 3-7 can use their ticket the day before the ticket date, or until Tuesday January 10.

“This dispute will only be resolved by agreeing to the long-overdue reforms to the working arrangements needed to put the industry on a sustainable footing, rather than by unions condemning their members to lose more wages in the new year.”

The disruption caused by the railway strike could be exacerbated by more than 100 road traffic officers and control room operators who work on national highways across England going on a 48-hour strike on Tuesday.

The walkout by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) is part of an industry strike in a bitter dispute over salaries, pensions and jobs.

About 100,000 CPC members working in 124 government departments and other agencies voted in favor of the strike.

CPC General Secretary Mark Sirotka said: “This strike is likely to cause problems for people returning to work after the Christmas holidays, and while we regret that, it is important to remember that our action today could be canceled if Rishi Sunak puts some money on the table for our members.” “.

National Highways said it has “well-thought-out resilience plans” to ensure its strategic 4,500-mile road network remains open and safe, and is confident the industrial action will have little public impact.

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