Britain comes to a standstill: Scenes from strikes across the country July 27, 2022 Most Britons are forced to work from home today while the latest national rail strike threatens to bring the country to a standstill. More than 40,000 members of the union RMT working for Network Rail and 14 other operators walked out today in a dispute over job cuts and salaries. People took it to Twitter [...]
Union accuses Grant Shapps of blocking strike talks July 25, 2022 Transport secretary Grant Shapps was accused of blocking the negotiations between rail operators and unions that could end the ongoing strikes. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called on Shapps to “stop prolonging the rail dispute” which has threatened to bring the country to a standstill. “Transport secretary Grant Shapps is giving secret instructions to rail [...]
Rail staff announce ANOTHER two days of strike July 25, 2022 Members of the union TSSA working as station and operational staff at seven rail companies have called for another two days of strike. The industrial action will take place on 18 and 20 August and will impact services on Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, and Southeastern. Meanwhile, workers [...]
Avert economic damage rail strikes will cause, say London businesses July 25, 2022 London businesses have called on unions, operators and the government to find a solution to the ongoing railway strikes “and avert the economic damage” they will cause. “The week-long rail disruption in June caused footfall in the capital to drop by up to a quarter compared to the previous week,” Ruth Duston – chief executive [...]
Rail union reissues strike ballots after first vote misses legal threshold July 21, 2022 The union TSSA has reissued ballots for strike action at four train operators after earlier votes didn’t reach the legal threshold for walking out. The ballots will be held at West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, Northern and TransPennine Express from 28 July to 25 August. The initial ballots gave the union a mandate for action [...]
Government repeals ‘1970s-style’ restrictions on strikebreakers July 21, 2022 Replacing striking staff with skilled agency workers will now be possible under the legal changes made by the UK Government. Approved by both Commons and Lords, the cross-sector changes will help ensure “crucial public services and people’s lives remain uninterrupted” by the strikes. The measure comes on the heels of a wave of industrial action [...]
Rail can’t take more than its fair share, says head of new trade body July 20, 2022 The railway sector can’t take more than its fair share from both fare and tax payers, according to Andy Bagnall, chief executive of the new trade body Rail Partners. “Train companies want to give their people a pay rise, but it has to be affordable and in the context of restoring the railway to a [...]
Rail strike on 27 July: Brits face zero services on some train lines July 20, 2022 Network Rail has warned passengers that limited to no services will run on 27 July, the first of an additional three-day strike called by the union RMT last week. The government-owned operator said that – while “specially-trained back-up staff” will keep vital services running on the day – timetables will be cut down to 20 [...]
Rail network unable to cope with extreme heat as track hits 62C: ‘Just not built to withstand this temperature’ July 19, 2022 The hottest railway track reached a scorching 62C on Monday, as the Transport Secretary admitted it will take decades to upgrade existing lines to be more resilient. Grant Shapps conceded the UK’s transport network cannot cope with the extreme heat, saying that the Victorian-era infrastructure “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature”. On [...]
UK braces itself for nation-wide disruption as 40,000 workers announce another two days of rail strikes July 15, 2022 The UK will need to brace itself for nation-wide disruption as 40,000 rail members of the union RMT announced late last night an additional two days’ strike on 18 and 20 August. RMT members working at Network Rail and 14 other operators announced earlier this week they will also walk out on 27 July in [...]