RAIL strikes saw 80% of train services cancelled yesterday – but commuters are set for more CHAOS due to a lack of overnight staff.
Half the rail network shut down on Tuesday – with further strikes taking place Thursday and Saturday in the biggest walkout in 30 years, the RMT confirmed.
And despite strikes not taking place today, the Tube is set to be delayed by FOUR hours.
The chaos will continue on Wednesday, with only 60% of trains running, mainly due to a delay to the start of services as signallers and control room staff are not doing overnight shifts.
The RMT will meet with NR and the train companies on Wednesday in another attempt to break the deadlock.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the turnout at picket lines on Tuesday was "fantastic" and had exceeded expectations in the union's campaign for job security, defending conditions and a decent pay rise.
Read our rail strike 2022 live blog below for the latest updates…
- henry moore
Boris blasts striking workers
In a statement given this week, the PM has criticised striking rail workers.
“The unions are harming the very people they claim to be helping,” he said.
“By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, while also impacting businesses and communities across the country.
“Too-high demands on pay will also make it incredibly difficult to bring to an end the current challenges facing families around the world with rising costs of living.”
- henry moore
RMT source admits strikes failing to have impact at Liverpool Street station
An RMT source admitted that strikes were failing to have a major impact at Britain’s third-busiest station as a number of lines kept running.
At Liverpool Street, commuters flooded off Overground trains from Chingford and Enfield Town approximately every half an hour, most of them heading to the Central and Elizabeth lines.
The union source said: “I think it’s been more minor inconvenience than straight direct impact.”
A Pret a Manger, a Pure, and the International Cheese shop all remained closed, while The Savanna, a grocer’s, left a notice apologising to customers for keeping its shutters up.
- henry moore
That will be £1,500 please
As strikes ravage the UK transport system, some cabbies have been met with some outlandish request.
One Scottish cab driver was asked how much the drive from Glasgow to London would be.
The fee? Just the small price of £1,500.
- henry moore
NHS worker pays £45 to get to work amid rail strikes
As rail strikes ravage the country, one NHS worker was forced to spend £45 getting to work this morning.
Another NHS worker responded, claiming Uber had charged him £50 for a short journey.
An Uber spokesperson told the Mirror: “As a result of the strike action currently taking place on the National Rail and London Underground network, we have capped the level that prices can surge, and all users are shown the price of their trip before they book.
“We are also working hard to ensure that there are enough drivers out on the road to match demand.”
- henry moore
NHS worker says his staff in his sector ‘aren’t allowed to strike’
A healthcare support worker in north London who was an hour and a half late for work amid the travel disruption has said NHS staff like him “aren’t able to strike” like those from rail companies.
David Raposo Buzon was waiting at a bus stop from 6.30am to make it in for his 7.30am scheduled start, but facing long queues and packed services he did not make it to his workplace until 9am.
“I feel OK with people doing strikes, but at the same time I feel angry when I think that NHS workers are not able to strike even if our conditions at work are really bad,” the 34-year-old, originally from Spain, told the PA news agency.
“We aren’t able to strike because we need to provide a minimum service but the service is already under minimum right now and, on the top of that, if you strike, people literally die, so you feel guilty and, at the end, don’t do it.”
Mr Buzon shared footage of long queues waiting for a bus on his commute on Twitter, posting: “My patients and coworkers (are) still waiting for me because of the #RailStrikes.
“And we are not allowed to strike. And my salary is totally worse than the ones that are striking. The country needs a change.”
- henry moore
Rail chaos sees spike in road traffic
Millions of people are suffering disruption from rail strikes with 80% of trains cancelled and a spike in road congestion.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on the public to “stay the course” after around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators walked out in a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Only a fifth of trains are running on Tuesday and half of all lines are closed.
Services are generally restricted to main lines, but even those are only open between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Much of Britain will have no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester.
Usually busy stations such as London Euston and London Paddington are nearly deserted except for union picket lines.
Many people are believed to be working from home rather than travelling to offices.
- henry moore
Former Tory chancellor warns that more strikes will follow if rail chaos succeeds
Ken Clarke, the former chancellor of the Tory party, has claimed if RMT’s strikes are a success, more will soon follow.
He told the BBC: “I’m afraid it cannot be allowed to look successful when it settles because as we have already heard, the rest of the public sector who are comparatively underpaid compared with railwaymen.
“On this occasion if the pay settlement is say 10, 11 per cent, then you are going to have vast amounts of the public sector induced to go in for the same militancy, the same strike action in order to demand at least the same.”
- henry moore
Labour MPs back RMT strike
A number of Labour MPs have taken to social media to voice their support for the rail strike.
Ian Lavery, the MP for Wansbeck and former chair of the Labour Party, joined a picket in Morpeth, tweeting: “Solidarity with the @RMTunion today and all days.”
Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, tweeted: “Complete solidarity with striking @RMTunion members today.
“The Trades Unions are the organised working class… the workers united will never be defeated.”
Tahir Ali, the MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said he would be joining pickets later on Tuesday and posted: “Solidarity to all those who are out taking action to protect jobs, ensure safety, and win better pay and conditions.”
- henry moore
How much are rail workers paid?
Many Brits have taken an issue with the idea that rail workers are underpaid.
But just how do they earn?
Here is a breakdown of rail worker earnings, according to the BBC.
- Rail travel assistants – £33,310 – this includes ticket collectors, guards and information staff
- Rail construction and maintenance operatives – £34,998
- Rail transport operatives – £48,750 – includes signallers and drivers’ assistants
- Train and tram drivers – £59,189
- henry moore
RMT invited to formal talks on July 1 to discuss working practices
Network Rail (NR) has asked the biggest rail workers’ union to attend formal consultation talks next month on introducing “modern working practices”.
A letter was handed to Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), at the end of talks on Monday evening.
Meetings were held throughout the day but failed to avert three days of strikes by RMT members which crippled train services on Tuesday and will be repeated on Thursday and Saturday.
The letter, written by Paul Rutter of NR, says: “We have always made clear to you that we needed to make material progress in these discussions and that we needed to implement meaningful changes to working practices by April 2023.
“I am still hopeful that we can agree a way forward. We cannot, however, delay any longer and with that in mind we intend to consult formally with you on the implementation of changes to a number of working practices which we believe can be changed within the existing agreements and T&Cs (terms and conditions) under which our Maintenance and Works Delivery staff are employed.
“We will also press ahead with consultation on the implementation of certain technologies in order to make the railway a safer and more efficient workplace.
“Whilst we do not believe that we need the agreement from our trade unions to make these changes, we would much prefer to implement them with your agreement and co-operation.”
- henry moore
Boris blasts striking workers
In a statement given this week, the PM has criticised striking rail workers.
“The unions are harming the very people they claim to be helping,” he said.
“By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, while also impacting businesses and communities across the country.
“Too-high demands on pay will also make it incredibly difficult to bring to an end the current challenges facing families around the world with rising costs of living.”
- henry moore
RMT source admits strikes failing to have impact at Liverpool Street station
An RMT source admitted that strikes were failing to have a major impact at Britain’s third-busiest station as a number of lines kept running.
At Liverpool Street, commuters flooded off Overground trains from Chingford and Enfield Town approximately every half an hour, most of them heading to the Central and Elizabeth lines.
The union source said: “I think it’s been more minor inconvenience than straight direct impact.”
A Pret a Manger, a Pure, and the International Cheese shop all remained closed, while The Savanna, a grocer’s, left a notice apologising to customers for keeping its shutters up.
- henry moore
That will be £1,500 please
As strikes ravage the UK transport system, some cabbies have been met with some outlandish request.
One Scottish cab driver was asked how much the drive from Glasgow to London would be.
The fee? Just the small price of £1,500.
- henry moore
Will there be strikes tomorrow?
According to the RMT, they will not strike tomorrow.
However, there is still expected to be rail disruption across the country.
Strikes will begin again on Thursday and Saturday
- henry moore
NHS worker pays £45 to get to work amid rail strikes
As rail strikes ravage the country, one NHS worker was forced to spend £45 getting to work this morning.
Another NHS worker responded, claiming Uber had charged him £50 for a short journey.
An Uber spokesperson told the Mirror: "As a result of the strike action currently taking place on the National Rail and London Underground network, we have capped the level that prices can surge, and all users are shown the price of their trip before they book.
"We are also working hard to ensure that there are enough drivers out on the road to match demand."
- henry moore
NHS worker says his staff in his sector ‘aren’t allowed to strike’
A healthcare support worker in north London who was an hour and a half late for work amid the travel disruption has said NHS staff like him “aren’t able to strike” like those from rail companies.
David Raposo Buzon was waiting at a bus stop from 6.30am to make it in for his 7.30am scheduled start, but facing long queues and packed services he did not make it to his workplace until 9am.
“I feel OK with people doing strikes, but at the same time I feel angry when I think that NHS workers are not able to strike even if our conditions at work are really bad,” the 34-year-old, originally from Spain, told the PA news agency.
“We aren’t able to strike because we need to provide a minimum service but the service is already under minimum right now and, on the top of that, if you strike, people literally die, so you feel guilty and, at the end, don’t do it.”
Mr Buzon shared footage of long queues waiting for a bus on his commute on Twitter, posting: “My patients and coworkers (are) still waiting for me because of the #RailStrikes.
“And we are not allowed to strike. And my salary is totally worse than the ones that are striking. The country needs a change.”
- henry moore
Rail chaos sees spike in road traffic
Millions of people are suffering disruption from rail strikes with 80% of trains cancelled and a spike in road congestion.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on the public to “stay the course” after around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators walked out in a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Only a fifth of trains are running on Tuesday and half of all lines are closed.
Services are generally restricted to main lines, but even those are only open between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Much of Britain will have no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester.
Usually busy stations such as London Euston and London Paddington are nearly deserted except for union picket lines.
Many people are believed to be working from home rather than travelling to offices.
- henry moore
Former Tory chancellor warns that more strikes will follow if rail chaos succeeds
Ken Clarke, the former chancellor of the Tory party, has claimed if RMT's strikes are a success, more will soon follow.
He told the BBC: “I’m afraid it cannot be allowed to look successful when it settles because as we have already heard, the rest of the public sector who are comparatively underpaid compared with railwaymen.
"On this occasion if the pay settlement is say 10, 11 per cent, then you are going to have vast amounts of the public sector induced to go in for the same militancy, the same strike action in order to demand at least the same.”
- henry moore
Labour MPs back RMT strike
A number of Labour MPs have taken to social media to voice their support for the rail strike.
Ian Lavery, the MP for Wansbeck and former chair of the Labour Party, joined a picket in Morpeth, tweeting: “Solidarity with the @RMTunion today and all days.”
Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, tweeted: “Complete solidarity with striking @RMTunion members today.
“The Trades Unions are the organised working class… the workers united will never be defeated.”
Tahir Ali, the MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said he would be joining pickets later on Tuesday and posted: “Solidarity to all those who are out taking action to protect jobs, ensure safety, and win better pay and conditions.”
- henry moore
How much are rail workers paid?
Many Brits have taken an issue with the idea that rail workers are underpaid.
But just how do they earn?
Here is a breakdown of rail worker earnings, according to the BBC.
- Rail travel assistants – £33,310 – this includes ticket collectors, guards and information staff
- Rail construction and maintenance operatives – £34,998
- Rail transport operatives – £48,750 – includes signallers and drivers' assistants
- Train and tram drivers – £59,189
RMT invited to formal talks on July 1 to discuss working practices
Network Rail (NR) has asked the biggest rail workers’ union to attend formal consultation talks next month on introducing “modern working practices”.
A letter was handed to Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), at the end of talks on Monday evening.
Meetings were held throughout the day but failed to avert three days of strikes by RMT members which crippled train services on Tuesday and will be repeated on Thursday and Saturday.
The letter, written by Paul Rutter of NR, says: “We have always made clear to you that we needed to make material progress in these discussions and that we needed to implement meaningful changes to working practices by April 2023.
“I am still hopeful that we can agree a way forward. We cannot, however, delay any longer and with that in mind we intend to consult formally with you on the implementation of changes to a number of working practices which we believe can be changed within the existing agreements and T&Cs (terms and conditions) under which our Maintenance and Works Delivery staff are employed.
“We will also press ahead with consultation on the implementation of certain technologies in order to make the railway a safer and more efficient workplace.
“Whilst we do not believe that we need the agreement from our trade unions to make these changes, we would much prefer to implement them with your agreement and co-operation.”
- henry moore
Boris blasts striking workers
In a statement given this week, the PM has criticised striking rail workers.
"The unions are harming the very people they claim to be helping," he said.
"By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, while also impacting businesses and communities across the country.
"Too-high demands on pay will also make it incredibly difficult to bring to an end the current challenges facing families around the world with rising costs of living."
- henry moore
RMT source admits strikes failing to have impact at Liverpool Street station
An RMT source admitted that strikes were failing to have a major impact at Britain’s third-busiest station as a number of lines kept running.
At Liverpool Street, commuters flooded off Overground trains from Chingford and Enfield Town approximately every half an hour, most of them heading to the Central and Elizabeth lines.
The union source said: “I think it’s been more minor inconvenience than straight direct impact.”
A Pret a Manger, a Pure, and the International Cheese shop all remained closed, while The Savanna, a grocer’s, left a notice apologising to customers for keeping its shutters up.
- henry moore
That will be £1,500 please
As strikes ravage the UK transport system, some cabbies have been met with some outlandish request.
One Scottish cab driver was asked how much the drive from Glasgow to London would be.
The fee? Just the small price of £1,500.
- henry moore
Rail workers give their perspective on picket line
Speaking to the BBC, a group of rail workers have explained their reasons for striking.
One said: "We worked the same as other people – [the] same as people who work from home and we just carried on. It shouldn't be up to us to pay the price with our conditions in the future."
They went on to say: "Enough is enough now. Everyone in every position needs to stand up to this government for what you believe in and get what's owed to you."
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