Following a year of the tube strike London rail disruption in the UK, many travelers wondering, when they can expect the next bout of industrial action.
The next transport strike sets to hit London this week, with multiple stations affected and reasonably high disruption expected.
Will Tube services still run?
If the strike goes ahead, TfL has warned that the stations may open later and close earlier or at short notice on Friday.
A strike on London Underground will halt virtually all tube benefits and slow much of the money to a crawl on Thursday in the ongoing dispute over jobs and pensions.
Some London Overground and Docklands Light Railway services may even be affected by the 24-hour walkout by members of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) block while the bus expected to be extremely busy and roads congested. Elizabeth Line parades will run as normal.
Transport for London (TfL) is preparing to cut the number of station staff it employs and has agreed to develop options for a consultation to reduce its pension as part of its funding settlement with the central government. TfL has promised that no job will be made redundant through its cost-cutting plans, which will facilitate staff headcount by about 600, and said that no proposals to cut pensions.
The association accused TfL of rejecting a last-ditch offer to call off the strike if the vehicle management agreed to pause plans and pledge to protect pensions. The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said TfL had missed a golden opportunity, adding: TfL needs to start making compromises and perform with the league to get a deal that works for staff and avoids further disruption to the lives of passengers.
The break of this week’s national rail strikes has raised hopes of a breakthrough, with intensive discussions continuing between Network Rail and the RMT – and also the TSSA and Unite unions, who have also called off planned industrial action but have fewer rail staff and less power to halt trains.
The RMT is balloting partners for a fresh six-month mandate strike, and the result is due next week. Financial support for the batter railway squeezed the government in Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement, on 17 November, which could focus all parties to reach an agreement sooner.
Formal discussions between train operating companies and unions are expected to follow any Network Rail agreement.
The national executive committee of Aslef, the train drivers union, met yesterday but has not called for further strike action. It has declared an overtime ban on LNER – a move that could affect east coast mainline intercity services, including trains between London, York, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.
Most train operators rely to some extent on rest day work, which remains voluntary. However, the ban is unlikely to see LNER understanding the level of revocations that have plagued Avanti West Coast, which has been incapable of drivers overtime on the parallel mainline.
Mick Whelan, Aslef’s public secretary, said LNER was riding roughshod over our working agreements, adding clearly that the company is flying on overtime and favors running a service rather than hiring enough drivers.
What dates are the tube, train, and Overground walkouts?
The RMT Union has announced a recent slew of 48-hour strikes over the festive period in December 2022 and January 2023, including Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
The strikes kicked off yesterday with widespread disruption, the remaining dates for the planned actions are December 14, 16, 17, 24, 25, 26, and 27, and January 3, 4, 6, and 7.
Are there train strikes over Christmas?
Yes. In the latest blow to travelers and commuters, the RMT has announced a strike from Christmas Eve to December 27. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said on the BBC’s ‘Today’ program This inconvenience was caused by the government, who are driving the playbook and the system for the railway groups and controlling what’s going on.
Are there tube walkouts over Christmas?
Alongside the strikes, there are a lot of Network Rail engineering careers in the capital over the festive period that also impacts tube services. Lines involved are the Bakerloo, District & Circle, Waterloo & City, and the Overground. Find a TfL calendar of jobs here.
What about the remainder of the UK?
The recent industrial action is countrywide. All the details are here.
Will walkouts affect Eurostar over Christmas?
Fraid so. RMT partners who work as security on the trans-continental rail service will strike on December 16, 18, 22, and 23, driving ‘severe disruption’ to Eurostar services to the Continent. You can hold up with all the latest details here.
Which London train lines are involved?
This Network Rail strike affected train lines across the country, including those coming in and out of London. TfL hasn’t approved its participation in this walkout, so tubes, the Overground, and other London lines should still run as normal.
So far, these train lines have demonstrated that they will be taking part in the industrial action:
Many lines have warned that travelers should plan ahead and only use trains if necessary, with the majority, of services canceled. Services that are still running are expected to be too busy.
Why are train workers crossing?
The RMT has been battling for a pay rise and better working conditions for a year.
In a recent statement, the union said despite every effort made by our negotiators, it is clear that the government is directly interfering with our attempts to settle.
Lynch said this latest round of strikes shows how important our members are to the running of this country and will ship a clear message that we want a good deal on job security, pay, and conditions for our people.
The reasonable, but it is impossible to find a negotiated settlement when the dead hand of government is presiding over these talks. The employers are in confusion and say different things to different people, sometimes at the same time.
