THREE days of misery start today causing tens of thousands of workers stage strikes causing chaos for commuters.
The walk out comes after long -running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Network Rail, train companies, London Underground and buses in the capital will be hit by the walkouts which will spark chaos until Sunday.
After ongoing talks failed to break the deadlocked rows members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite will be involved in the industrial action.
Today, RMT members at Network Rail (NR) and 14 train operators, TSSA members at seven companies, and Unite members at NR will strike.
This will have a knock-on effect on rail services on Friday morning.
Read our Train strikes live blog below for the latest news & updates…
- Louis Allwood
'For manythis is the first time they have ever taken industrial action'
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: "Our members in the rail industry are going into the third or fourth year of a pay freeze. Meanwhile, food and fuel bills are spiralling, and the Tory cost-of-living crisis is making working people poorer. Enough is enough – this cannot go on.
"For lots of our members, this is the first time they have ever taken industrial action – it is a last resort and not something any rail worker takes lightly."
He added: "Railway workers put their lives at risk to keep the country running in the pandemic and were rightly hailed as heroes. Yet now the Tories are hampering negotiations and blocking employers from making a reasonable offer to those same rail workers.
"Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the Department for Transport need to make a reasonable offer on pay and job security – either by coming to the table themselves or allowing employers to negotiate freely. The string-pulling and blocking negotiations must stop.
"This dispute is not going away. Thousands of rail workers across the country are experiencing real-terms pay cuts as inflation skyrockets and the cost of living keeps rising.
"We will not back down until our members have won the pay, conditions and job security they deserve."
- Louis Allwood
TSSA members strike
TSSA members taking action include staff working in ticket offices, stations, control rooms, engineering, as well as planning, timetabling and other support roles.
The union is seeking guarantees of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise in line with the cost of living, and promises of no unilateral alterations to job terms and conditions.
- Louis Allwood
RMT chief fears difficulty in finding a solution
RMT chief said he fears finding a solution will not be possible because of "political interference" as workers stage another rail strike.
He told how the union have been working with Network Rail and the train operating companies but said "the gap between us is still there".
"We've got to find a way to bridge that but I fear that because of the political interference that's happening with the public transport and the Treasury, we're not able to do that," Lynch added from Euston.
"We've also got a dispute tomorrow with London Underground – which is more of the same that the funding from the railway has been cut and that means an attack on rail workers across the land and I think many workers are suffering from that at this moment.
"They're not getting a square deal but we'll keep working with the companies to get a negotiated settlement and as soon as we can do that, will put it to our members and hopefully we can get the railway back providing service the that public needs."
- Louis Allwood
'We won't be broken'
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said his union's members are more determined than ever to protect their pensions, secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.
Speaking in front of a picket line at Euston station this morning, he declared that the rail strike "won't be broken" until there is a settlement to the dispute as he refused to put an end date on the industrial action.
Lynch told the PA news agency: "We don't have a fixed programme – I don't have a whiteboard saying it starts on this day and it ends on that day.
"We won't be broken. We are determined to get a settlement.
"People have shown on the picket lines they are determined to dig in, we're not going to waste our members' efforts.
"We will take the action that our members want to take as we go along, so we're not going to be broken.
"We will continue the fight until we get a settlement."
- Louis Allwood
Weekend disruption
On Saturday, RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators, TSSA members at seven companies, and Unite members at NR will strike again, along with London United bus drivers.
Sunday morning train services will be affected by the knock-on effect of Saturday's action.
Rail services on Thursday and Saturday will be drastically reduced, with only around a fifth running, and half of lines closed.
Trains will only operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm on both strike days.
- Louis Allwood
Who will be affected?
The strikes are set to spark misery not just for workers, but also holidaymakers and fans going to events.
Premier League football fixtures and a cricket Test match at Lords, which began today, will be impacted by the strikes.
Strikes will affect services until the weekend.
- Louis Allwood
Who will participate in the strikes?
Network Rail, train companies, London Underground and buses in the capital will be hit by the walkouts which will spark chaos until Sunday.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite will be involved in the industrial action, after ongoing talks failed to break the deadlocked rows.
Today, RMT members at Network Rail (NR) and 14 train operators, TSSA members at seven companies, and Unite members at NR will strike.
- Louis Allwood
Chaos TODAY
Commuters are bracing for days of travel misery ahead of rail, tube and bus strikes which begin TODAY.
Tens of thousands of workers will stage strikes following long -running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
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