Over a year on from the start of the first national rail strikes since the 1980s, the dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions appears as intractable as ever.
The main rail union, the RMT, and the train drivers’ union, Aslef, have both announced industrial action during July that will hit more than a dozen train operators based in England; some of which run services in Wales and Scotland. Transport for Wales and ScotRail are not involved and will run normal services.
The unions say their members have not had a pay rise for four years and are demanding a decent, no-strings award that takes into account the high level of inflation.
Train operators and ministers – who must sign off any deal – say reforms are essential following the collapse of rail revenue, which they say is 30 per cent lower than before the Covid pandemic.
Caught in the middle: the long-suffering passenger. Since June 2022, national rail strikes have caused problems for tens of millions of train passengers. Stoppages have been called frequently, causing massive disruption and making advance travel planning difficult.
These are the key questions and answers.
Who is taking industrial action, and when?
The RMT, which began striking on 21 June 2022, has called three more days of walk-outs in July: Thursday 20, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29.
The strikes, which the union says will see 20,000 workers walking out, are aimed at train firms contracted by the Department for Transport. They include the leading intercity operators:
- Avanti West Coast
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- LNER
- TransPennine Express
Most London commuter operators will be hit:
- C2C
- Greater Anglia
- GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
Operators focusing on the Midlands and north of England will be affected:
- Chiltern Railways
- Northern Trains
- West Midlands Trains
Aslef has banned overtime at the same train operators (except C2C) from 2 to 6 July inclusive.
Why were those dates chosen?
Like any unions, the RMT and Aslef are seeking the biggest impact – ie to cause as much disruption as they can. Aslef’s overtime ban coincides with the first week of the Wimbledon tennis championships in southwest London.
The RMT union is targeting what are likely to be the busiest days of the month. Many families will be on the move at the start of school holidays on 20 and 22 July; those dates also fall during the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in Manchester and the Open golf championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The 29 July strike will hit journeys to and from holiday resorts as well as cricket fans travelling to London for the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval.
Nigel Harris, editor of Rail magazine, described the announcement as “monumentally depressing”.
Why are they striking?
The forthcoming industrial action is part of a long and bitter dispute over pay and working arrangements that began in June 2022.
The RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has described the latest offer from the train operators – represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) – as “substandard”. He said: “This latest phase of action will show the country just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry.
”The government continues to shackle the companies and will not allow them to put forward a package that can settle this dispute.
“RMT will continue its industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement on pay, working conditions and job security.
The RMT has staged walk-outs on 28 days in the current wave of strikes, with Aslef stopping work on 13 previous occasions.
What is the likely effect of the RMT strike?
On each of the strike days, thousands of trains will be cancelled, wrecking travel plans for millions of passengers. Some lines will see no services, and where trains are running they are likely to start later, be less frequent and finish earlier than normal.
All operators are likely to run some trains. LNER will run a regular service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh via Yorkshire and northeast England, while Avanti West Coast will be running a basic service, with one train an hour from each of Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow to London Euston.
Great Western Railway will run between London Paddington, South Wales (as far as Cardiff Central) and Devon.
Shorter distance services around the big cities are likely to be hard hit.
Passengers can expect normal service on:
- Caledonian Sleeper
- Grand Central
- Heathrow Express
- Hull Trains
- London Overground
- Lumo
- Merseyrail
- ScotRail
- Transport for Wales
Will airport trains run?
Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester airports will have some trains.
Heathrow Airport is served by the Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line, as well as the London Underground.
Stansted Airport is likely to have trains to and from London Liverpool Street every hour from around 7am until the evening.
Will Eurostar be affected?
No, but connections to and from the train operator’s main hub at London St Pancras International will be difficult because union members working for all three domestic train operators at the station (East Midlands Railway, Southeastern and Thameslink) serving the station will walk out.
Why is Aslef taking industrial action?
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “Once again we find ourselves with no alternative but to take this action. We have continually come to the negotiating table in good faith, seeking to resolve the dispute.
“Sadly, it is clear from the actions of both the train operating companies and the government that they do not want an end to the dispute. Their goals appear to be to continue industrial strife and to do down our industry.
“We don't want to inconvenience the public. We just want to see our members paid fairly during a cost of living crisis when inflation is running at above 10 per cent, and to not see our terms and conditions taken away.
“It’s time for the government and the companies to think again and look for a resolution.”
What do the train operators say?
A spokesman for the RDG said: “More strikes are totally unnecessary. After a year of industrial action all the RMT has achieved is losing their members more money than they would have received in the pay offers they refused to put to put out to a vote, despite having agreed the terms with the negotiators the room.
“We have now made three offers that the RMT executive have blocked without a convincing explanation. We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise.
“But until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30 per cent shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward.
“Sadly our staff, our customers and the communities across the country which rely on a thriving railway are the ones that are suffering as a result.”
What does the government say?
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “The RMT leadership’s decision to call strikes targeting two iconic international sporting events, as children and families begin their summer holidays, will disrupt people’s plans across the country.
“After a year of industrial action, passengers and rail workers alike are growing tired of union bosses playing politics with their lives.
“It’s high time the union leaders realised that strikes no longer have the impact they once did and are simply driving people away from the railway.”
Could the strikes be called off?
Such is the antipathy between the parties that it seems most unlikely.
I have a ticket booked for one of the strike days. What can I do?
Passengers with Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak tickets can have their ticket refunded with no fee if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.
Train operators are likely to offer flexibility to travel on a wide range of non-strike days.
Passengers with season tickets who do not travel can claim compensation for the strike dates through Delay Repay.
What are the alternatives?
As always, long-distance coach operators – National Express, Megabus and Flixbus – will keep running, though seats are becoming scarce and fares are rising.
What effect will the Aslef overtime ban have?
It will vary from one rail firm to another. The number of train cancellations will reflect the dependence on overtime at the particular operator, and also sickness levels on the day.
