Britons’ vacation plans were jeopardized today, when Gatwick Express canceled all trains for three days next week and Eurostar canceled dozens of services as last-minute crunch discussions with Network Rail proceeded.
Rail union leaders accused Grant Shapps of using ‘bully boy tactics’ after he warned that striking next Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will jeopardize their employment – while Downing Street insisted there was still time to cancel the strike.
It comes as Eurostar became the latest operator to cancel trains, with a total of 41 canceled between next Tuesday and Saturday, jeopardizing vacation plans in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Following its release, the company reported ‘historic contact volumes across phone, email, and social media.’
‘Eurostar, you just cancelled our international train from Paris to London owing to a national rail strike in the UK,’ one passenger, Tanja Goossens, tweeted. Are you going to give us a refund for having to cut our vacation short now?!’
On strike days, Gatwick Express trains will not run, however restricted Southern and Thameslink services will run between London Victoria or London Bridge and Brighton, with a stop at the airport in West Sussex.
‘Was so glad that I’m missing the Tube/train strike next week since I’m on holiday… then realized how tf [the f***] am I going home from Stansted on Thursday?’ said another Twitter user, Nadia Holmes.
Most operators intend to operate a skeleton service from 7.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. on the three strike days of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Merseyrail, on the other hand, announced today that no trains or buses will run on certain days on any of its routes. The Caledonian Sleeper is the only other operator that has canceled all services so far.
Mr Shapps, the Transport Secretary, stated that striking employees were committing a “act of self-harm,” that union executives were pressuring them to do so “under false pretenses,” and that the strikes were “the last thing” they should do.
He told workers at a train terminal in London that striking was foolish because of the new era of working from home, in which the trains are ‘in a struggle’ with Zoom, and that they shouldn’t risk losing their jobs.
‘Bully boy methods will not wash with our union when the fact is our members are fighting for their employment, salary, and a safe railway suitable for the future,’ said Manuel Cortes, president of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association.
The Unite union has warned that strikes might now move to London’s bus system, citing worries that a consultation on plans to eliminate a number of routes in the city could result in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
‘These strikes are not just an attempt to block measures that are crucial to the network’s future, and meant to inflict damage at the worst possible moment, but they are also an extraordinary act of self-harm by the union leadership,’ Mr Shapps said this morning.
Make no mistake: unlike the previous 25 years, when the railway sector took expanding passenger demand for granted, now the railway is fighting for survival.’
‘If this Tory administration was at all serious about halting what appears to be a summer of dissatisfaction on our trains, Shapps would have made it clear in his address that they are open to engage with us and sister unions,’ Mr Cortes answered less than two hours later.
Unfortunately, and maybe unfortunately, what we heard from the Transport Secretary resembled threats and intimidation of workers rather than productive engagement.’
‘The threats made today by Grant Shapps to railway employees’ lives and right to strike are reprehensible,’ RMT general secretary Mick Lynch continued, ‘and will make RMT members even more determined to win this dispute.’
Mr Shapps has to act like a sensible Transport Secretary who is ready to engage with the union and assist us to a negotiated settlement, rather than playing to the gallery for his own political goals.’
Downing Street, on the other hand, said there was still time to find a solution to what it called a “entirely self-defeating strike,” but ministers would not be directly involved in the talks – and that proposed legislation to allow the use of agency workers on the railways if the strike continues would take ‘weeks rather than months.’
Unite, a trade union, also threatened industrial action today to avoid cuts to London’s bus network, stating that unless guarantees are given that employment would not be lost and take-home pay will not be reduced, it will prepare for strike action.
Bus drivers are concerned about losing overtime and rest day work, which they rely on to supplement their income, according to Unite. ‘These cuts are an attempt to make London’s bus employees pay the price for the epidemic, and we reject them completely,’ said its head Sharon Graham.
The possibility of Unite conducting strike action to safeguard our members is properly explored. Bus service cuts usually hurt the people who can least afford it: our poorest areas.
TfL’s plans must be decisively rejected by the mayor and the London Assembly, who must stand up to the Westminster government.’
Due to a strike by the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport) and Unite over employment and pay,’severe disruption or no service’ is expected on all Tube lines from the start of next Tuesday until at least 8am on Wednesday.
Buses and Docklands Light Railway services will continue during this time, but they will be ‘very congested with lines to board,’ and certain stations may be closed for’safety reasons,’ according to Transport for London.
Due to the larger national RMT strike by members of Network Rail and 13 UK rail operators on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, overground and Elizabeth line services will be disrupted between next Tuesday and Sunday.
All c2c, Chiltern, Southern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, South Western, and London Northwestern commuter trains, as well as long-distance lines such as Great Western, LNER, Avanti West Coast, East Midlands, Grand Central, and Hull Trains, would be affected.
‘It’s in a struggle with Zoom, Teams, and remote working,’ Mr Shapps said, adding that the railway was ‘not simply battling against other types of public and private transportation.’
‘The world has changed, in case the unions haven’t noticed. Many commuters who had no choice but to ride the train three years ago now have the option of not taking the train at all.’
‘Many commuters who had no choice but to ride the railway three years ago now have the option of not taking the train at all,’ he stated.
‘Waving them off will jeopardize the jobs of thousands of rail personnel.’ With protracted and destructive strikes, it is alienating its passengers and freight customers.’
RMT members working for Churchill, who clean trains and stations in the South East of England, have also gone on strike in recent weeks.
Eurostar has announced that on all three strike days next Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, up to four services from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord, five from Paris to London, two from London to Brussels Midi, three from Brussels to London, two from London to Amsterdam Centraal, and two from Amsterdam to London will be cancelled. On Wednesday and Friday, one London to Paris and one Paris to London train will be cancelled.
It comes only 48 hours after Eurostar reassured passengers worried about interruption by saying on Twitter, “We are not presently anticipating the UK national rail strike to affect the Eurostar trains.”
During the UK national rail strike, Eurostar is canceling a number of trains to match the UK high-speed line’s restricted operation hours, according to a spokeswoman for the company.
‘Unions claim this strike is about a salary freeze,’ Mr Shapps said today. This is incorrect. We are not imposing a salary freeze because Covid is no longer in existence.
‘So, I say to the workforce: ‘Under false pretenses, your union bosses have pushed you to the brink of a countrywide strike.’ And, rather of protecting your employment, they are putting them in jeopardy.’
He also addressed rail employees directly, stating, “I appeal directly to rail workers, who I believe are less combative than their union officials.”
‘Don’t take any chances. Don’t jeopardize your career or your future. Don’t take the chance of losing your job. Do not pit yourself against the general populace. Let’s put this right and get back to work on improving the railway.’
‘If this dispute cannot be addressed, the Government will look at a complete range of remedies to prohibit the unions from harming the general public, including lifting the bar on transferrable personnel stepping in for striking workers,’ Mr Shapps added.
‘In addition, travellers will be paid for the inconvenience.’ In addition to the existing refund arrangements, we will ensure that season ticket holders are entitled to full reimbursement on strike days. If you were unable to catch the train, reimbursement is usually available. It’s a bit tricky.
‘We know that in the event of a strike, there will be those who have yearly season tickets and are able to go on specific days.’
‘I’ve moved to assist in making that an automated procedure for those persons in order to do everything we can to minimize passenger discomfort.’
‘There is no one thing you can do to alleviate the strikes,’ Mr Shapps said of the usage of agency employees. Minimum service standards are merely one more tool in the toolbox. It isn’t the sole factor.
‘Then there’s the issue of transferrable talents.’ People with transferable talents will be allowed to come where they have the required level of abilities, training, and experience, and this will be subject to a more simpler secondary legislation procedure, making it much faster.
‘If the strike continues… then transferable skills, sometimes known as agency employment, will become accessible in this particular conflict.’
‘We want the unions to back off from what will be an entirely self-defeating strike, which will not only cause significant disruption to the public and business, but may also discourage people from using our railways, which the Government believes should be treasured and enhanced,’ said the Prime Minister’s official spokesman today.
‘And there is still time for them to come to the negotiating table and agree a solution.’
‘Broadly speaking, we remain of the stance that it is for the unions to negotiate with their employers rather than the Government stepping in,’ the spokesperson said when asked if the government would act as a facilitator for negotiations.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab also criticised the strikes today, calling them “irresponsible” and portraying the Conservatives as the sole party standing up for commuters.
‘I believe the RMT union’s strike action is highly reckless,’ he told LBC. Obviously, we must reconsider the structure of our railways.
‘We’ve given them a tremendous subsidy to get them through the epidemic, and when working and commuting patterns change, we’ll have to adjust accordingly.’
‘I’d want to speak up on behalf of commuters and rail passengers.’ I’m surprised that Labour has openly backed the RMT, and the Liberal Democrats, to be honest, have been lily-livered on the issue and haven’t been forthright.
‘The Conservatives are the only ones who are saying, ‘This is wrong, and we will stand up for the people.’
During the action, TfL’s Santander Cycles team will ensure that hire bicycles are ‘distributed at important places according to demand,’ and commuters will be advised that ‘walking or cycling may be faster for some journeys.’
They also cautioned that on strike days – Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday – service on the Overground and newly-opened Elizabeth line will be limited ‘due to the national rail strike and its consequences on shared track and infrastructure’. On these days, the Overground will offer a restricted service between 7.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m.
Customers will continue to be impacted by the national rail strike on mornings when no strike action is planned, according to TfL. These days include next Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
It also advised Tube passengers who travel on portions of lines impacted by national rail strikes to delay their travels until mid-morning on certain days.
On the nights of next Friday and Saturday, RMT strike action on Night Tube services is expected to continue, but TfL intends to run three trains per hour on the Victoria and Jubilee lines and two trains per hour on the Central.
Network Rail’s senior negotiator, Tim Shoveller, said negotiations with the RMT regarding the national rail strike will continue later today, with managers ‘working very creatively to try to find methods of decreasing the cost of running the train.’
‘We’ve been talking to the unions for over a year now, so on top of that, realizing that there was always a danger, we’ve been working hard to put in place contingency provisions,’ he told BBC Radio 4 today.
‘So we’ve been working with our managers and other capable workers who can step into some of those essential jobs, and that has been a significant focus in the last several months as a contingency plan.’
‘It’s a backup plan we hoped we’d never need.’ But it’s now in place, and starting next week, we’ll be able to operate around half of the network for a short time using our experienced managers.’
‘I want to apologise to consumers who will be disrupted by the RMT and Unite’s strike action next week,’ said TfL’s chief operating officer Andy Lord.
‘The action on June 21 will have a severe impact on the London Underground network, resulting in very little to no service on all lines, which is why we’re encouraging people to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary, as the majority of Tube stations will be closed and services will be unavailable.’
‘We expect the considerable disruption caused by this strike to continue until the morning of June 22. Alternatives to the Tube are likely to be considerably busier than normal.’
‘I apologize for the disruption this may cause to people’s travel plans.’
‘This strike is especially upsetting because it comes so soon after earlier this month’s walkout; no changes to pensions have been suggested, and no one has or will lose their job as a result of the ideas we’ve put forward.’
‘We’re pushing the RMT and Unite to call off their strike and engage with us to find a solution so that people’s trips and our economic recovery aren’t disrupted.’
TfL stated the walkout is part of a larger dispute with the RMT about pensions, jobs, and conditions, as well as a wage issue with Unite.
‘Despite the fact that no proposals on pensions or terms and conditions have been submitted, and nobody has lost or will lose their job as a result of the suggestions TfL has laid out,’ bosses added.
TfL met with the RMT and Unite unions at ACAS yesterday morning, noting that “despite no resol
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