Train strikes 2022 LIVE – Rail workers announce MASSIVE August strike as Brits face more travel chaos
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AS Brits face a complete train shutdown today, rail unions have announced further strikes set to take place in August.
The Aslef union has announced another massive rail strike next month.
On August 13, nine rail groups will walk out over pay disagreements.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: “Strikes are always the last resort. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Government.
“Many of our members, who were the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic, have not had a pay rise since 2019.
“With inflation running at north of 10% that means those drivers have had a real-terms pay cut over the last three years.
“We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.”
This comes as approximately 40,000 workers under Network Rail ditched their stations this morning.
Read our travel delays live blog below for the latest news & updates…
As travel chaos continues to ravage the UK, RMT union boss Mike lynch as warned of a general strike if issues are not resolved.
It came after Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss said she would impose strike restrictions on rail workers to keep Britain moving.
In an impassioned speech the trade unionist said: “If these proposals become law, there will be the biggest resistance mounted by the entire trade union movement, rivalling the general strike of 1926.”
He added that two-week rail staff walkouts may follow this year “if we don’t get the deal we need”.
Transport for London (TfL) says it is reviewing a draft proposal from the Government for a long-term funding settlement.
TfL has been operating on a series of emergency short-term funding deals since falling into financial trouble during the pandemic.
Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner, said the long-term funding – if agreed – would provide much-needed certainty for those in the nation’s capital.
He said: “Since keeping London moving through the darkest periods of the pandemic we have been making the case to Government that there can be no UK recovery without a London recovery and that there can be no London recovery without a properly funded transport network.
“We are grateful for the support we have received so far, and maintain we have met every condition that has been set by Government as we have worked towards agreeing a multi-year funding settlement that would give certainty to London and to the tens of thousands of jobs across the country that are directly linked to TfL.”
After defying Keir Starmer’s orders and joining the RMT picket line, Sam Tarry, a Labour frontbencher, has been sacked.
Labour are traditionally the party of trade unions.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.
“This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.
“As a government in waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench.”
The Aslef union has announced another massive rail strike next month.
On August 13, nine rail groups will walk out over pay disagreements.
This is just one of dozens of rail strikes to take place this summer.
More misery is on its way for Brits as British Airways pilots threaten strikes over pay.
BA pilots were considering a ballot on strike action last night after bosses rejected demands for a new pay deal.
Martin Chalk, Balpa general secretary, said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted.
“We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.
“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”
A British Airways spokesman said: “We remain committed to continuing talks with the union.”
Waterloo station in London is un uncharacteristically sparse today, as RMT strikes force Britain’s rail network to a halt.
The usual sight of the working masses travelling to and from work is nowhere to be seen, as 4/5 services are cancelled.
Services are expected to return to normal tomorrow.
Matthew Chattle/Future Publishing via Getty Images
According to Sky News, train services are already winding down for the day.
In the last hour, both the services to Edinburgh and Manchester saw their final trains leave the capital.
This comes as RMT strikes plunge Britain into travel chaos, as 40,000 workers stay at home.
As travel chaos continues to ravage the UK, RMT union boss Mike lynch as warned of a general strike if issues are not resolved.
It came after Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss said she would impose strike restrictions on rail workers to keep Britain moving.
In an impassioned speech the trade unionist said: “If these proposals become law, there will be the biggest resistance mounted by the entire trade union movement, rivalling the general strike of 1926.”
He added that two-week rail staff walkouts may follow this year “if we don’t get the deal we need”.
Tonight, Germany take on France for the chance to face England in the finals of the Women’s European championship.
But due to strikes, many will struggle to reach the match.
Swedish football fans Rebecka Ronnegard, 26, and Felix Nystrom, 27, hope to get to Milton Keynes for the Germany and France semi-final.
But Ms Ronnegard, told the BBC: “There is a train to Birmingham where we can change to go to Milton Keynes so that’s what we’re hoping to do, that was our plan. But right now I feel like if we get to Birmingham we’re lucky.”
She added: “I support the workers, I really do. It’s just unlucky that it affects us. I support the workers and I hope they can come to an agreement.”
TUBE workers are launching a fresh strike next month causing travel chaos for thousands.
The London Underground staff are planning to walk out on August 19 in a row over jobs and pensions.
The RMT announced the move today just weeks after a Tube strike crippled the capital.
Employees were asked to stay home as London Underground effectively shut down.
Jen, from Havant, Hants, was set to attend an uncles funeral today, but was unable to due to strikes.
The 42-year-old told the PA news agency: “I would also like a pay rise in line with inflation but in reality that won’t happen. I don’t choose to mess around with people’s lives because of it.
“And it angers me when they say ‘Oh, just work from home’ or ‘Just travel on a different day’ because people don’t ‘only’ travel for trivial reasons. I won’t get this day back.”
Both of the Conservative parties potential leaders have committed to banning public sector strike action if elected.
This is an effort to prevent days such as today, where Brits’ travel plans have been plunged into chaos as they are unable to use the rail.
Critics of the policy point to strike action’s achievements, such as the weekend and minimum wage.
As Britains rail services are once again crippled by strike action, only 1 in 5 trains are running today.
Cornwall has seemingly been hit hard by these strikes, with Great Western Rail warning that no rail services will operate on “all lines in Cornwall”.
Services should return to normal tomorrow, however, these strikes have been known to cause delays even after they are complete.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “Despite our best efforts to find a breakthrough, I’m afraid there will be more disruption for passengers this week as the RMT seems hell-bent on continuing their political campaigning, rather than compromising and agreeing a deal for their members.
“I can only apologise for the impact this pointless strike will have on passengers, especially those travelling for holidays or attending events such as the Uefa Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final (on Wednesday) and the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games (on Thursday).”
Members of the RMT and TSSA will launch co-ordinated strikes on August 18 and 20, while the RMT announced a strike on London Underground on August 19.
Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at London Euston station, in defiance of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s orders to stay away.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “If we don’t make a stand today, people’s lives could be lost.”
Asked whether he expects to be sacked by Sir Keir, Mr Tarry said: “I’ve no idea what Keir will decide to do but I know this – if Keir was in government right now, this dispute wouldn’t be happening.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that Mr Tarry’s actions are “clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir” and “no doubt he’ll want to remove him from his job”.
Many passengers turning up at stations are unaware of the strike.
Rail strikes seem to have had little effect on Gatwick Airport railway station this morning.
Trains towards London Bridge, London Victoria, Three Bridges and Brighton are all currently running on time.
There were significant delays and disruption at the airport station during rail strike action earlier last month.
There is a significantly smaller staff presence on the platforms today compared with the strikes in June, where multiple members of staff were on duty on each platform to guide passengers.
Railway workers on the picket line at Bristol Temple Meads station on Wednesday said there has been little movement from employers or the Government following the first three rounds of strikes.
They said rail companies want to press ahead with driver-only trains, getting rid of guards who are otherwise known as train managers.
Sophie, 31, who has spent five years on the railway and two as a guard, told the PA news agency: “If there’s no safety-critical person it puts passengers at risk.
“If there is an accident or an incident, there is no qualified guard to look after passengers.”
She said that although most passengers will only notice the guard when they are checking tickets, they have to do six months of training to learn all the details of their routes, such as platform length, access routes and signal points, as well as first aid.
Victoria Station in London is quieter than usual amid the strikes.
While passengers stream off the scheduled trains, the station is calm.
One commuter quipped that the lack of chaos was down to the fact that “people are just used to it now” after the three days of strikes last month.
They claimed that after a rocky few months for the rail services, people are “used to finding other modes of transport, like buses or taxis”.
At Liverpool Lime Street, passenger Jennifer Galvin, 74, had caught a train from Broadgreen, Liverpool, and was waiting for a service to New Brighton, Wirral, where she was going to look after her grandchildren.
She said: “I knew there was going to be a strike today but I’ve got an app to check when the trains are and I’m hoping I’ll still be able to get there.
“There should be one service an hour running to New Brighton so we’re hoping to catch one at 10.12am.
“The journey hasn’t been too bad. The train here was packed but it hasn’t been too chaotic. I think most people have chosen not to travel.”
More misery is on its way for Brits as British Airways pilots threaten strikes over pay.
BA pilots were considering a ballot on strike action last night after bosses rejected demands for a new pay deal.
Martin Chalk, Balpa general secretary, said: “We are in talks with British Airways and wish to persuade them that continuing deductions from our members’ pay is unwarranted.
“We should actually be talking about pay increases given the inflationary scenario.
“Unless BA is prepared to walk with us down that road then we will have to consult with members to consider our next actions.”
A British Airways spokesman said: “We remain committed to continuing talks with the union.”
TUBE workers are launching a fresh strike next month causing travel chaos for thousands.
The London Underground staff are planning to walk out on August 19 in a row over jobs and pensions.
The RMT announced the move today just weeks after a Tube strike crippled the capital.
Employees were asked to stay home as London Underground effectively shut down.
The airport capped passengers at 100,000 a day, to help keep delays and queues down.
Speaking on the radio station Leading Britain’s Conversation, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye reportedly said: “A lot of people are put off from checking in all of their makeup, for example, because they are worried about whether their bag will make the journey with them.
“People tend not to think of makeup as being prohibited from travel, so there’s a lot of education that we need to do with people.”
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