The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has announced that next week’s rail and Tube strikes will go ahead after discussions failed to resolve a dispute over pay, jobs, and working conditions.
As part of a national push to save more than £2 billion across Britain’s railway network, the RMT Union has sought inflation-linked pay raises for workers and a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
Claims that train operators have been subjected to years of pay stagnation and modifications to their terms and conditions underpin the calls for strike action.
According to the union, Network Rail intends to cut jobs and cut spending, which will have an impact on safety. The government and Network Rail, on the other hand, have accused the union of being unwilling to modernize work procedures.
‘Despite our negotiators’ best efforts, no viable settlements to the disagreements have been produced,’ stated general secretary Mick Lynch.
On Tuesday, Thursday, and next Saturday, he revealed that strikes at Network Rail and 13 train operators, as well as on the London Underground, will take place.
‘It has to be restated that the source of these disputes is the decision by the Tory Government to cut £4bn of funding from our transport systems – £2bn from national rail and £2bn from Transport for London,’ he said.
‘As a result of this transport austerity imposed by the Government, the employing companies have taken decisions to savage the Railway Pension Scheme and the Transport for London scheme, cutting benefits, making staff work longer, and poorer in retirement, while paying increased contributions.
‘In the face of this massive attack on our people the RMT cannot be passive.
‘So today, having heard the reports on the discussions that have been taking place we are confirming that the strike action scheduled to take place on 21st, 23rd and 25th June will go ahead.
‘We want a transport system that operates for the benefit of the people, for the needs of society and our environment – not for private profit.
‘We call on the entire labour movement and the working people to rally to the support of the RMT and our members in this struggle.’
A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group added: ‘No one wins in the event of a strike.
‘The action next week will affect the millions of people who use the train each day, including key workers, students with exams, those who cannot work from home, holidaymakers and people attending important business and leisure events.
‘Working with Network Rail, our plan is to keep as many services running as possible, but significant disruption will be inevitable and some parts of the network will not have a service, so passengers should plan their journeys carefully and check their train times.’
It comes as the Treasury warned against giving into strikers demands amid fears that pay increases would fuel inflation.
Simon Clarke, chief secretary to the Treasury, has said ‘unrealistic expectations around pay’ would worsen the inflation crisis.
Inflation is currently at a 40-year high. Earlier this week, the Bank of England was forced to increase its inflation prediction for the year to 11 per cent.
‘We have to be very careful at this point about preventing inflation from becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy,’ Mr Clarke said.
‘And this is what the Chancellor and I are obviously very keenly focused on in the Treasury, that we want to make sure that everyone understands that we need to help people with the cost of living, and that some of the answer to that is pay.
‘But what we can’t do is have unrealistic expectations around pay, which do in turn prolong and intensify this inflation problem because we all want it to end. And the way it will end soonest is if we are sensible about pay.’
There are concerns that next week’s strike will now encourage other unions to take action, which could increase inflation further and put pressure on public sector budgets.
The Bank of England’s chief economist warned that it may be forced to raise interest rates by half a percentage point for the first time since gaining independence in 1997 if inflation rises.
‘If we see greater evidence that the current high level of inflation is becoming embedded in pricing behaviour by firms, in wage-setting behaviour by firms and workers, then that will be the trigger for this more aggressive action,’ Huw Pill told Bloomberg TV.
The situation could worsen still as staff on one Britain’s busiest railways the TSSA – serving 640,000 commuters in London and Kent each day – have also threatened to walk out next month.
The ballot could see workers at Southeastern, which is owned by the Department for Transport (DfT), go on strike as early as July 25 if successful.
The TSSA said its workers were ‘seeking basic fair treatment in the teeth of a crippling cost of living crisis’, but rail operators have called on unions to ‘talk, not walk’ as the dispute which is set to cause chaos this summer rumbles on.
Separate strikes will also be held involving the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union, on Hull trains and the Croydon Tramlink, while the RMT and Unite will also strike on June 21 on the London Underground.
The strike will hit average hardworking and already-pressed Britons hardest, with thousands of train journeys and dozens of lines set to be closed on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday next week.
Here, in one easy to look at place, MailOnline breaks down the delays and closures on each of the major rail networks next week.
Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast say that due to the strikes fewer trains will run and some stations and destinations will have no service on the strike days. Our services will also start later and end much earlier.
‘These trains are expected to be very busy, so we strongly advise to only travel by rail if necessary on strike days. If not, please plan ahead as your journey will probably be severely disrupted. Train travel on days either side of the strike days is also likely to be affected,’ an Avanti West Coast spokesperson wanred.
Some services are set to run on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow but with a ‘significantly reduced timetable’.
C2C
C2C says it expects ‘significant disruption’ on the strike dates and those in between.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are advising our passengers to only travel if it is essential, work from home if you can and to plan ahead if you do intend to travel.’
‘On the c2c route, we will be operating a reduced service from 07:30 – 18:30, equating to less than a third of normal service levels, and consisting of:
Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness via Laindon: Two trains per hour
Fenchurch Street to Pitsea via Rainham: Two trains per hour
No trains will run via Ockendon or Chafford Hundred
A spokesperson said: ‘While action is currently limited to 21st, 23rd and 25th, the surrounding dates will also see disruption to services, with services set to start running from around 06:30 with a full service planned to be in operation by 08:00.
Caledonian Sleeper
All services cancelled from Monday to Friday next week.
A spokesperson said: ‘Although Caledonian Sleeper staff are not participating in the strike action it does have a significant impact on our operations and services. Unfortunately, this means that we have had to cancel our services.’
Chiltern Railways
Train services will start at 8am and finish before 6pm.
Two trains per hour will run to/from London Marylebone – one to Banbury and the other to Aylesbury Vale Parkway via High Wycombe.
Last trains from Marylebone will be the 3.10pm Banbury, 4.10pm to Bicester North and 4.45pm to Aylesbury Vale Parkway via High Wycombe.
Transport for London
TfL services and national rail will be affected by the strikes on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Along with the national strikes, London-wide strikes affecting tubes and TfL services will take place on Tuesday, June 21 and services until mid-morning on Wednesday 22 June.
National rail strike will effect the Elizabeth line and London Overground services, and some Tube services, on strike days and until mid-morning on the days after strikes
London Underground
Tuesday: ‘Severe disruption or no service’ is expected on all London Underground lines for the whole day
Wednesday: No service expected until at least 8am
Thursday and Saturday: Most services operating, but disruption from Queen’s Park to Harrow and Wealdstone on Bakerloo line; on Richmond and Wimbledon branches of the District line; and on the Waterloo and City line
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday: Tube customers using sections of lines affected by national rail action (listed above) should avoid making journeys until mid-morning.
Saturday and Sunday: No Waterloo & City line
Sunday: No District line between Turnham Green and Richmond.
Night Tube
Friday and Saturday night: Continued strike action means three trains per hour on the Victoria line and Jubilee lines, and two per hour on the Central line
London Overground
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