Trade Union Body RMT (National Union for Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers) has confirmed the industrial strikes are expected to resume on 1-5 October, and 8th October. Drivers from 12 companies are set to go on strike on October 1 and 5, and staff from 15 companies are set to go on strike on 8 October.
Due to Queen Elizabeth’s death, the strikes were postponed from their original date, 15 September. David Horne, Managing Director of LNER, stated:
“This morning we have been notified by the ASLEF trade union of further days of strike action on Saturday 1 October and Wednesday 5 October. We have suspended ticket bookings for these dates – we will review our plans and confirm asap which LNER services will run on these days.”
Rail strikes have already occurred in the past couple of months, impacting millions across the UK. Unions are demanding pay increases due to the rapid cost of living throughout Great Britain. A number of rail unions have walked out this summer in a dispute over pay and living conditions.
The union has also announced that more than 40,000 workers from Network Rail will strike again on 8 October. This latest strike will come a week after an even bigger strike on 1 October, a day before the Conservative Party conference, expected to take place in Birmingham.
In Scotland, staff employed by Scotrail are set to go on strike on Monday, 10 October, over pay disputes, the RMT has announced. This is despite the Scottish government announcing in April that they cannot give an increase in pay.
Prime Minister, Liz Truss, said rail staff should return to work to prevent disruption. Liz Truss said in New York that she wanted to take a conservative approach with the unions but insisted employees must return to work.
Higher wages must be implemented. Taxpayers nor passengers should have to continue paying more to cover the lack of funding. The Conservative party conference is set to be impacted by the rail strike, which is due to occur in Birmingham from 2-5 of October. Additionally, the London Marathon will also be affected, starting on 2 October.
Liz Truss pledged in her campaign to introduce new restrictions on trade unions. Unions are in dispute with rail companies and the government about pay and job cuts. They want their pay to account for the increase in the rising cost of living.
Thousands of passengers across the country face 3 extremely disruptive days within early October, impacting many in the United Kingdom. The biggest impact of the strike on a national scale is Saturday 1 October, with thousands across Great Britain facing disruption, only around 10% of services running on that day, and 40,000 workers striking, according to the RMT.
The industrial action is now heading into its fifth month of strikes and will continue on until staff sees improvements.
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