The latest round of national rail strikes has ended halfway through, with the RMT union calling off the walk-outs due to take place on Thursday 30 March and Saturday 1 April. Rail services should now run normally, with the full range of fares available.
But the RMT insists it remains in dispute with 14 train operators over pay, job guarantees and working arrangements.
Last Thursday and Saturday, more than 10,000 trains per day were cancelled when thousands of members of the RMT stopped work once again in a long and bitter dispute that has dragged on since June 2022.
The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, dismissed a previous proposal from the employers, which was contingent on a wide range of changes to working practices, as a “dreadful offer”. He insisted instead on a no-strings pay deal and vowed that the strikes would continue as long as necessary.
So what has changed? These are the key questions and answers.
Who has been striking and for how long?
Rail services have been disrupted by RMT strikes for nine months. On 21 June 2022, tens of thousands of members of the main rail union, the RMT, walked out at the beginning of what turned out to be a long series of national rail strikes – the first since the 1980s.
The union has been involved in two separate disputes. One is with Network Rail, the state-owned infrastructure provider, which maintains and operates the railway system.
The other is with the 14 operators contracted by the Department for Transport (DfT) to run trains.
Often both groups of union members have been on strike at the same time, leading to the cancellation of four out of five trains.
On Monday 20 March 2023, the RMT union announced that members had voted 76:24 in favour of a deal offered by Network Rail. It is worth at least 9.2 per cent in increased pay over two years, plus an expanded discount travel scheme, in return for some productivity improvements.
The union says an agreement has now been reached and the Network Rail dispute is now over.
What about the quarrel with train operators?
When the Network Rail settlement was announced, Mick Lynch insisted: “Our dispute with the train operating companies remains firmly on.
“Our members’ recent highly effective strike action across the 14 train companies has shown their determination to secure a better deal.”
His union has been demanding “an unconditional…
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