UK strikes: Month of rail chaos begins with first 48-hour action, as nursing walkout looms
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.”
Demand for alternative transport 37 per cent higher
This year’s rail strikes have seen demand for alternative forms of transport spike by 37 per cent compared to pre-pandemic, according to ground transport experts CMAC Group.
Neil Micklethwaite, COO at CMAC Group, said: “The impact and knock-on effect of the recent rail strikes was completely underestimated. With further strikes planned to hit all rail networks and Eurostar throughout December we can expect to see even more travel chaos during one of the busiest periods of the year for all forms of transport.
“Research conducted by VisitBritain suggests a quarter of Britons (23 per cent) will take an overnight trip between Christmas and the New Year; millions more travel to shops and attend festive events and entertainment, and, based on previous years’ figures, around 4.5 million are expected to go abroad.
“There’s no doubt disruption is expected to continue into non-strike days and alternative transport providers, such as taxis, which are essential in helping keep the country moving.
“As we have previously stated, CMAC…
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