Those travelling around Britain today have been warned to expect major disruption as 48-hour national train strikes entered a second day.
Only one in five trains is expected to run today, adding to the passengers’ travel woes ahead of the Christmas period.
Many industries are set to stage their own strikes this month, and Royal Mail staff are joining rail workers in walking out today.
Some 40,000 workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are involved in the walk-outs in December and January, planned to cause as much disruption as possible as travelers attempt to get around during the holidays.
The strikes went ahead after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) rejected a 9 per cent pay raise offered by Network Rail.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of RMT, claimed that there is overwhelming support for the industrial action, while blaming the former transport secretary Grant Shapps for blocking a settlement to the six-month rail dispute.
He told The Independent: “I think Grant Shapps has still got his hand in it, because they [the cabinet] do a ‘round robin’ about proposals."
