Stay off the trains! Rail passengers are told to avoid travel if possible with fresh round of stoppages set to bring network to halt on November 5, 7 and 9 while 1,500 rail cleaners are balloted for action over pay
- Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) will strike next month
- It comes as 1,500 rail cleaners are also threatening industrial action over pay
- The union found more than one in 10 rail service cleaners were using food banks
- Only one in five services across the whole of the UK will run on November 5, 7, 9
Britain is set to grind to a halt as the country faces a fresh wave of rail strikes next month.
Members of the militant Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are planning another round of industrial action over a longstanding dispute over pay and working conditions.
Rail companies are warning that only about one in five services will run on November 5, 7 and 9, while in some areas there will be no trains running.
Commuters are being told to only travel is urgent to avoid the chaos.
A special timetable will be published next week but passengers are being warned trains will start and finish much earlier than usual on strike days.
Members of the militant Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are planning another round of industrial action on November 5, 7 and 9
There is likely to be some disruption in the early morning of the day after each strike as well on November 6, 8, and 10, as workers return to duties.
It comes as the RMT is expected to ballot around 1,500 rail cleaners over whether to carry out industrial action over pay.
The threat to strike comes as the union’s survey of 1,000 rail cleaners, from a number of different rail companies, found that one in ten staff members were using food banks and a third were relying on credit cards to pay bills.
The union has been demanding cleaners receive an hourly pay rate of £15, company sick pay, decent holidays and good pensions from rail companies which the RMT insist are making huge profits.
RMT Union boss said: ‘Cleaners need a pay rise, company sick pay and holiday entitlement if they are going to get through the cost-of-living crisis.
‘For too long contracted out cleaners have been treated as second class workers on the transport network.
‘We have successfully won better terms and conditions on several contracts, including free travel on London Underground.
It comes as the RMT is expected to ballot around 1,500 rail cleaners over whether to carry out industrial action over pay
‘However, there now needs to be a national push from RMT to ensure no cleaner is left behind.
‘They are part and parcel of our industrial trade union, and we are calling time on greedy contractors everywhere.’
A number of train operators will be affected by the rail strikes at the beginning of November.
This includes Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast, South Western Railway, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Northern Trains, South Eastern, Transpennine Express, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).
There will be no LNER services running at all on November 5 as a result of industrial action and engineering work.
Which train operators will be affected by strike action on November 5, 7 and 9?
The following train operators will be affected by RMT and TSSA industrial action on November 5, 7 and 9:
- Great Western Railway
- Avanti West Coast
- South Western Railway
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Northern Trains
- South Eastern
- Transpennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR (including Gatwick Express)
- London Underground and Overground will be affected on November 10
London Underground and Overground services will also be disrupted on November 10 as a result of the strikes.
Rugby fans hoping to get to Cardiff in time for the Wales v New Zealand match on November 5 are advised not to travel by train to and from the match, as both the RMT and TSSA strikes will mean most trains across Wales will be suspended.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: ‘A fair and affordable two-year 8 per cent deal, with heavily discounted travel and an improved offer of job security to January 2025, remains on the table and our team have had extensive conversations with RMT representatives around the terms of a deal.
‘Unfortunately, the unions seem to believe the taxpayer should fund bigger pay rises and are more intent on more damaging strikes than working with us to compromise and agree a deal.
‘That means there will be even more disruption for passengers over the next couple of weeks, starting next Saturday (November 5), when we will again have to ask passengers to only travel if absolutely necessary.’
The Network Rail boss added that the strikes were affecting the railway’s attempts to recover from the pandemic and were driving ‘passengers away at a time when everyone involved in the railway should be focused on attracting more passengers and freight forwarders to the network’.
He said: ‘We urge the unions to either allow their members to vote on our offer or come to the negotiating table with a genuine willingness to compromise and help find solutions to the challenges our industry is facing.’
Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: ‘We’re sorry that a decision was taken by the RMT leadership to impose further strike action which will bring widespread disruption for passengers and businesses, especially affecting families planning to attend the bonfire night celebrations.
‘It is particularly disheartening that next weekend’s strike will hit the plans of thousands of rugby fans who are planning to travel to Cardiff for Wales v New Zealand.
‘These damaging and unnecessary strikes not only disrupt passengers’ plans and undermine struggling businesses, but also harm the industry’s recovery with the June strikes costing the hospitality sector around half a billion pounds.’
He added that more strikes mean more people will lose out on pay and there would be less money to fund pay rises.
Passengers who have already booked train tickets affected by the strikes can use the ticket the day before the date on the ticket and up to November 11.
Those affected also have the option to change their tickets to travel on an alternative date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
He said: ‘We urge the unions to recognise that the railway industry is facing very real financial challenge, and work with us towards a fair deal that offers a pay rise and includes the long-overdue changes to the industry so that our services are more reliable, more affordable and inspire more passengers back on board.
‘While we will do all that we can to minimise disruption, if you are going to travel on the routes affected, please plan ahead and check the latest travel advice.’
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