Commuters and shoppers are to face chaos on the railways ahead of Christmas after the RMT rail union yesterday rejected a pay offer from train operators. The decision means strike action mooted for the busy coming weeks - including early 2023 - now looks set to go ahead.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) had offered union workers an eight percent pay rise and guaranteed no compulsory redundancies before April 2024. However, RMT boss Mick Lynch said that the changes being proposed would eventually lead to the loss of thousands of jobs. You can read more about that here.
As a result, with RMT members at GWR having a mandate for strike action - although this is not the case with Transport For Wales (Tfw) staff - rail passengers are being warned that industrial action will have a massive knock-on effect on the majority of train services across the Wales and Borders network. Those planning to travel by train are being advised to find an alternative method of transport.
READ MORE: Rival train operator given permission to run services on the mainline from south Wales to London
What dates are the latest strike days?
Rail passengers are being warned that the majority of train services across the Wales and Borders network will not run on:
- Tuesday, December 13
- Wednesday, December 14
- Friday, December 15
- Saturday, December 17
Services will also be disrupted on:
- Tuesday, January 3
- Wednesday, January 4
- Friday, January 6
- Saturday, January 7
Due to the sheer scale of the disruption caused by the industrial action, there will be no replacement bus service offered either. Customers who have already purchased tickets for the designated strike days can claim a full refund or amend their tickets.
However, due to the Core Valley Lines in South Wales being owned and managed by TfW directly, a reduced rail service will run on the lines north of Cardiff. That said, these trains are likely to be extremely busy and those who decide to travel may be entitled to compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more.
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