As train strikes wipe out Britain’s rail network this weekend, many are wondering if there are more coming on January 21st and 22nd.
Trains are heavily disrupted or cancelled completely today (January 7) due to a national walkout that affects almost all of the UK’s rail companies.
Commuters have had enough of the industrial action which leaves them unable to get to work and weekend strikes are erupting chaos on social events.
Are there train strikes on January 21st and 22nd?
No, there are no planned train strikes on Saturday, January 21 or Sunday, January 2. In fact, there are no more organised rail strikes at all for the rest of 2023 when writing this.
The January 7 walkout marks the end of a series of 48-hour strikes called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) over December and January.
However, the dispute still has not been resolved, so more strikes could be called at any time. Check National Rail’s strikes page for the latest information.
How much notice will we get for train strikes?
As explained by South Western Railway, unions must give at least 14 days’ notice of any strike action.
If you have already pre-purchased tickets for strike days, National Rail usually allows you to use it the day before the date on the ticket, or up to a specific date.
On national strike days, passengers are warned not to use Britain’s rail network unless absolutely essential as significant disruption is expected.
“Trains will be busier and likely to start later and finish earlier, and there will be no services at all in some places,” National Rail warns.
People are advised to plan ahead and check their first and last train times. Always visit your local train operator’s website for the latest timetables.
Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
When will the industrial action end?
Rail workers are striking as they want better pay, pensions and working conditions and the strikes won’t end until they are offered a deal that they accept.
The strikes have been going on since June 2022 as industry bosses fail to offer unions a good deal. So, unions keep calling strikes to put pressure on them and the government.
“Network Rail have failed to make an improved offer on jobs, pay and conditions for our members during the last two weeks of talks,” the RMT said when it called the latest round of strikes.
“We have been reasonable, but it is impossible to find a negotiated settlement when the dead hand of government is presiding over these talks,” the union’s general secretary Mick Lynch added.
If workers are not offered a pay rise, the only other way the strikes would end is if the unions decide to back down, but this is unlikely.
Unions, the government, Network Rail and other groups are in talks every day, but a deal still has not been reached when writing this.