Thirteen months on from the start of the first national rail strikes since the 1980s, the disputes over pay, jobs and working conditions appear as intractable as ever. July has seen the resumption of industrial action aimed at more than a dozen train operators by both main rail unions, which will continue into August.
The biggest rail union, the RMT, and Aslef, representing train drivers, say many of their members have not had a pay rise for four years. They are demanding no-strings increases that take into account the high level of inflation. The unions are prepared to discuss reforms, but these must be negotiated separately with commensurate boosts to pay.
Train operators and ministers – who must sign off any deal – insist modernisation is essential following the collapse of rail revenue, in particular the loss of much of the “bedrock” of season ticket sales since the Covid pandemic.
Caught in the middle: the long-suffering passenger. Since June 2022, national rail strikes and other forms of industrial action have scuppered the travel plans of tens of millions of train passengers. Stoppages have been called frequently, causing massive disruption and making advance travel planning difficult.
Transport for Wales and ScotRail are not involved and will run normal services – but as some of the affected operators usually run trains in Wales and Scotland, services on strike days may be more crowded than normal.
These are the key questions and answers.
Who is taking industrial action, and when?
The biggest rail union, the RMT, called` 20,000 of its members out on strike on Thursday 20, Saturday 22 with the next strike day being Saturday 29 July. The late July walk-outs are causing thousands of cancellations each day at the start of the main summer school holidays in England.
The train drivers’ union, Aslef, is mounting “action short of a strike” in the shape of Monday-to-Saturday overtime bans. The next starts on Monday 31 July until Saturday 5 August.
Hundreds of trains are likely to be cancelled each day as a result.
A London Underground strike, also involving members of the RMT, was called off at 36 hours’ notice after progress in talks.
Which train operators are involved in the national disputes?
The RMT strikes and Aslef overtime bans are aimed at rail firms contracted by the Department for Transport. They include the…
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