When are the subsequent practice strikes?

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 – with October the hardest-hit month up to now.

Nice Britain-wide rail strikes or extra localised stoppages passed off virtually every single day through the first 10 days of October, with tens of millions of potential journeys disrupted; and the economic motion continues for quite a few practice operators.

The rail unions have indicated that they may proceed to strike over the approaching weeks and months in the event that they fail to achieve a suitable different.

Regardless of the brand new transport secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, assembly rail union leaders, there are few indicators of progress.

What’s the rail dispute about?

There are literally dozens of particular person disputes involving members of 4 unions:

However key parts are frequent to all of the disputes:

Essentially the most distinguished determine on the union facet is the RMT normal secretary, Mick Lynch.

Forward of the October nationwide strikes he stated transport staff have been “sending a transparent message to the federal government and employers that working individuals is not going to settle for continued assaults on pay and dealing circumstances at a time when huge enterprise income are at an all-time excessive”.

He stated: “We would like a settlement to those disputes the place our members and their households can get a sq. deal. And we is not going to relaxation till we get a passable final result.”

Mick Whelan, normal secretary of the drivers’ union, Aslef, says: “The morally corrupt practice firms signed contracts with the federal government to say they’d not provide greater than 2 per cent, understanding we now have free collective bargaining, and don’t work for the federal government.

“The practice firms have been decided to power our hand. They’re telling practice drivers to take an actual phrases pay lower.”

What do the employers say?

Andrew Haines, chief govt of Community Rail, stated: “We need to give our workers a good pay rise.

‘It isn’t honest to ask taxpayers or passengers to fund this so we should fund it ourselves, which is achievable if the unions work with us to modernise and run the railway extra effectively.”

The Rail Supply Group (RDG), representing practice operators, rejects the union claims of profiteering, saying: “For the reason that finish of franchising, the Authorities has paid practice firms a set, performance-related price to run companies.

“Which means it’s the taxpayer who loses cash each time the RMT management name a strike.

“As a substitute of repeatedly misrepresenting the trade’s monetary place to additional its personal trigger, we name on the RMT to recognise the very actual monetary challenges confronted by the trade post-covid, that are being made worse by these strikes.”

What concerning the authorities?

Community Rail is successfully a subsidiary of the Division for Transport (DfT), and practice operators are contracted by the DfT to run companies. So in the end ministers name the pictures on pay and circumstances.

The rail minister, Kevin Foster, says: “The lasting penalties of Covid-19 on passenger numbers and income, and the influence of strikes on railway clients, have elevated the necessity for reform.

“It’s important that the unions sit down, cease placing and get on with coming to a deal that’s honest not only for staff however for taxpayers, who’ve put £16bn into supporting our railways during the last couple of years.

On the Conservative convention his boss, transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, stated “there’s a deal to be executed”.

The unions have welcomed the substitute of the earlier transport secretary, Grant Shapps, with Ms Trevelyan; each Aslef and the RMT campaigned alongside her for Brexit.

Are extra strikes impending?

Sure. Members of the Unite union working for East Midlands Railway (EMR) are placing on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 October.

The practice agency stated: “Unite members predominantly work in our depots and this impacts our potential to offer trains for the times service. In consequence, we’ll function a considerably diminished service on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 October.

“On strike days, it’s best to solely journey by rail if completely mandatory.

“We anticipate trains working on strike days to be extraordinarily busy and crowded. Seat reservations will probably be suspended on all routes.

“Most EMR companies will run between the hours of seven.30am-6.30pm solely. Please make sure you test the time of your final return practice earlier than you journey.”

Some Sunday night trains are being cancelled forward of the strikes.

Final companies on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 October from London St Pancras are at 3.31pm to Sheffield, 4.31 to Derby and 5.05pm to Leicester.

Practice managers on Avanti West Coast who’re members of the RMT will stroll out on Saturday 22 October and Sunday 6 November in a row over the imposition of rosters.

The practice agency says: “We’re taking a look at how this can influence companies and hope to have extra info for you quickly.”

On 29 October, ScotRail employees who’re members of the RMT will stroll out for twenty-four hours. The practice operator says: “We at the moment are assessing the influence this can have on our companies and dealing on contingency preparations. We’ll replace clients as quickly as that is full.”

Cross-border companies run by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, LNER and TransPennine Categorical is not going to be affected.

What about strikes throughout Nice Britain?

Additional stoppages could possibly be referred to as at two weeks’ discover by the RMT union and/or Aslef.

Throughout RMT strikes greater than 40,000 members stroll out – together with 5,000 signallers, whose absence usually shuts down half the Nice Britain rail community fully and reduces the remainder to a daytime-only service.

Aslef strikes usually contain practice drivers working for greater than a dozen operators. When drivers stroll out, some practice corporations cancel all all companies whereas others run a skeleton service.

Some other disruption?

Sure. Workers at ScotRail applied an extra time ban on Friday 14 October as a part of a dispute over pay.

ScotRail says: “The motion in need of a strike will see some day by day cancellations, because the operation of ScotRail companies requires relaxation day working and extra time as recruitment continues.

“We’re doing the whole lot we will to minimise disruption, and to maintain clients up to date on which companies are impacted.

“The perfect factor to do is to test your journey within the morning earlier than you journey.”

As well as, morale throughout the rail trade is low, with a number of practice operators reporting higher-than-normal ranges of employees illness.

TransPennine Categorical, for instance, is working a diminished timetable to 10 December on the earliest.

As well as, members of the TSSA are sustaining an extra time ban at TransPennine Categorical and Nice Western Railway.

I’ve a ticket booked for a strike day. What are my choices?

You possibly can usually journey a day or two earlier than a strike, or a day or two after, with no formality. Alternatively, you may ask for a full refund – together with each halves of a return ticket if just one path is affected by a strike.

“In the event you bought your ticket from one other supplier, you’ll need to method them immediately,” the practice corporations say.

Am I taking a threat by shopping for tickets for November or December?

Provided that you then additionally decide to non-refundable spending that will probably be misplaced in case you can’t make the journey – for instance a lodge or occasion tickets.

Will Eurostar be affected?

Sure, if RMT signallers stroll out once more, worldwide trains from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam is not going to run early within the morning and can cease early within the night.

Are any components of the UK unaffected by these rail strikes?

Sure, up to now railways in Northern Eire and the Isle of Wight line have averted industrial motion.