The RMT rail union has announced that some 20,000 members will walk out on strike on two more weekends as part of it ongoing dispute over working conditions, pay and job security.
The two strikes will take place all day on Saturday 26th August 2023 and Saturday 2nd September 2023. As usual with these strikes, that’s also likely to affect services on the Friday evening and the early Sunday morning.
The first of the two strikes, on the 26th August is also the Bank Holiday weekend, and will likely affect many people planning to get away on the Saturday. Where possible, changing to an earlier departure on the Friday may be necessary.
The union said that it had been left with little choice but to take further action as the union has seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
The train operating companies involved in the strike action are:
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Gatwick Express
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway (GWR)
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern
- South Western Railway
- Thameslink
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
“The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held.
“Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement.
Countering, a Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “We have now made three offers, the latest of which would have given staff pay rises of up to 13% as well as job security guarantees and the RMT executive have blocked this 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% shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post covid, it is difficult to move forward. Unfortunately, the repercussion of this impasse affects our staff, customers, and the communities across the country that rely on the railway.”
The rails strikes needs settling but despite what they keep alleging, the rail unions are not prepared to enter into proper collective bargaining.This by definition, needs compromise on both sides.Over the last few years the rail unions have failed to do this, when they could achieve real benefits for their members.They appear to be in political inertia, where by they will not compromise.For example, attempts by Network Rail to multi skill their workforce has been opposed for years, when their members could achieve very good renumeration by proper participation.The Government has a duty to unsure taxpayers money is spent responsibly and effectively.Change has to happen in all kinds of work situations and many people have not considered the pros and cons of the railway ticket office changes.It is no tenable to oppose everything in life.Many of us do not like change but you cannot necessarily stop it.
I am sick and tired of these rail strikes.
I have a disabled railcard and at weekends when I want to use it there tends to be a rail strike.
Train drivers at present earn £55,000 per year.
How much more do they want?
The RDG and the government need to sit round the table and come up with a solution ASAP, as these strikes are doing my head in.
This strike doesn’t involve train drivers.
I understand that but anytime when is strike I’m loosing payment and now is too much this strike.
One could say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Ticket office closures must be halted. How are disabled, elderley or other groups with little access to digital going to get those tickets not avaialble on those platforms. Example It is impossible to obtain a carer ticket online or a platform ticket for people that assist.
I think this is the issue – despite “guarantees”, closures of ticket offices, and potential removal of conductors, are massive issues for RMT members and also for passengers.
Comparisons with TfL are not really relevant as people going from Pleasington to Barry Island aren’t going to tap on and tap off, but may still need their tickets adjusting which can often only be done at a ticket office.
I think there needs to be a guarantee of at least one manned ticket office desk remaining open for each station that currently still has a ticket office for at least the next five years.
This would enable the RDG to reduce the number of ticket desks open and potentially redeploy those staff, whilst avoiding full closure.
It also gives more time for all tickets to be made available online, where currently some can only be obtained from a ticket office. Potentially it may even allow time for a tap in/out system (similar to London) to be enabled across the network.