The UK’s train network will grind to a halt on three days this week as workers take part of the biggest rail strike in 30 years.
Staff at Network Rail and 12 train operators will walk out over today, Thursday and Saturday amid a dispute over job losses, working conditions and pay.
Commuters have been urged to only travel if necessary, with services being cancelled across the country due to the strike action.
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Here is everything we know about the strike action.
Why are rail workers striking?
The RMT said that it is taking this action amid claims of £4bn of cuts to the UK transport system by the Tory Westminster government.
Officials say that this has resulted in job cuts across the rail network, with firms using controversial fire and rehire practices.
Workers have also made complaints about the general working conditions in the rail industry, the RMT has said.
The union is also protesting against reported plans to close a number of ticket offices across the country.
They are also seeking a seven per cent pay rise, which the RMT says reflects the cost of living crisis.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The RMT National Executive Committee has now found both sets of proposals to be unacceptable and it is now confirmed that the strike action scheduled this week will go ahead.
“It is clear that the Tory Government, after slashing £4bn of funding from National Rail and Transport for London, has now actively prevented a settlement to this dispute.
“The rail companies have now proposed pay rates that are massively under the relevant rates of inflation, coming on top of the pay freezes of the past few years.
“At the behest of the Government, companies are also seeking to implement thousands of job cuts and have failed to give any guarantee against compulsory redundancies.”
Mr Lynch added: “Faced with such an aggressive agenda of cuts to jobs, conditions, pay and pensions, RMT has no choice but to defend our members industrially to stop this race to the bottom.
“The strikes on Network Rail, the train operators and London Underground will go ahead, and we again call on our members to stand firm, support the action, mount the pickets and demonstrate their willingness to fight for workplace justice.
“The RMT supports the campaign for a square deal for all working people in the face of the cost of living crisis, and our current campaign is a part of that more general campaign which means that public service have to be properly funded and all workers properly paid with good conditions.”
Are ScotRail involved in the strikes?
Network Rail staff and 13 train operators will see staff walkout on June 21, 23 and 25.
ScotRail is not directly involved in the strike action, but services will be severely impacted during the striking days.
The rail firm said that only five services in the central belt will operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the days of industrial action.
Services in the rest of Scotland will be completely shut down.
This is due Network Rail Scotland signallers and maintenance staff, who are in safety critical roles, on strike over the three days.
Services disrupted include:
- Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High
- Edinburgh to Bathgate
- Glasgow to Hamilton/Larkhall
- Glasgow to Lanark
- Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts
Who are the other rail operators taking part in the strikes?
Workers at 13 train operating companies across the UK will also be taking part in the strike action over the three days.
These are:
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Great Western Railway
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
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