Subsequent prepare strikes UK: What days in December 2022 and January 2023

Rail passengers face extreme journey disruption over Christmas and the New 12 months as staff stage a sequence of 48-hour strikes in December and January within the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and situations.

The RMT union has revealed that greater than 40,000 staff throughout Community Rail and 14 prepare working firms will stage a sequence of 48-hour walk-outs.

Industrial motion will happen on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December and on 3, 4, 6 and seven January.

The RMT has additionally issued an additional time ban for its members throughout the railway community from 18 December to 2 January.

It would observe a strike this Saturday, 26 November, from members of the prepare drivers’ union, Aslef, working for 11 prepare operators.

Of the subsequent tranche of walk-outs, RMT mentioned in a press release: “Regardless of each effort made by our negotiators, it’s clear that the federal government is instantly interfering with our makes an attempt to achieve a settlement.

“The union suspended earlier strike motion in good religion to permit for intensive negotiations to resolve the dispute.

“But Community Rail have did not make an improved supply on jobs, pay and situations for our members over the last two weeks of talks.

“On the identical time Rail Supply Group, representing the prepare working firms, have additionally damaged a promise to make a significant supply on pay and situations and even cancelled negotiations that have been as a result of happen yesterday.”

RMT normal secretary Mick Lynch mentioned: “This newest spherical of strikes will present how vital our members are to the operating of this nation and can ship a transparent message that we wish deal on job safety, pay and situations for our individuals.

“We have now been affordable, however it’s unimaginable to discover a negotiated settlement when the useless hand of presidency is presiding over these talks.

“The employers are in disarray and saying various things to completely different individuals, typically on the identical time.

“This entire course of has change into a farce that solely the brand new secretary of state can resolve. Once I meet him later this week, I’ll ship that message.”

Mr Lynch added that the union was “sorry to inconvenience” the general public this Christmas, however urged them to “direct your anger and frustration on the authorities and railway employers throughout this newest section of motion”.

“Working individuals throughout our class want a pay rise and we’re decided to win that for our members in RMT,” he mentioned.

The consequences of those strikes is now properly established after a lot of comparable walk-outs impacted British travellers over the summer season and earlier this autumn; industrial motion from round 5,000 Community Rail signallers will imply half the rail community is closed, with a much-reduced service on the rest.

Non-union members and managers will allow a service to run between 7.30am and 6.30pm throughout about half the rail community.

Tim Shoveller, Community Rail’s chief negotiator, mentioned: “Nobody can deny the precarious monetary gap during which the railway finds itself. Hanging makes that gap greater and the duty of discovering a decision ever tougher.

“Solely via reform, that won’t end in anybody shedding their job, can financial savings be made that may then be transformed into an improved supply. And whereas progress has been revamped these final two weeks, we nonetheless have but to search out that breakthrough.

“We is not going to quit and hope that the RMT will return to the desk with a extra reasonable appreciation of the state of affairs.”

A spokesperson for the Rail Supply Group, representing prepare operators, mentioned: “We made actual progress over the past fortnight of talks and for the primary time in months we will see the define of a reputable deal.”

The continuing disputes are centred round pay, working situations and job safety.

The RMT union says its common member earns £31,000 yearly, “with many on a lot much less, and none have seen a rise in three years”. The RMT additionally says the dispute is about “stopping catastrophic cuts that may instantly impression upkeep and accessibility”.

The Impartial has approached the Division for Transport (DfT) for remark.