40,000 employees of Network Rail and other operating firms will go on strike during the first week of January.
The majority of the nation’s rail services will be shut down due to involvement of union members from 14 other train companies.
Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, claimed that the government “is blocking the union’s attempts to reach a negotiated settlement with the rail employers”.
He said: “We will continue our industrial action campaign while we work towards a negotiated resolution.”
Network Rail offered RMT members a 5 per cent pay rise in 2022 and a 4 per cent pay rise this year, but RMT members voted to reject the offer.
Discussing the offer, Lynch said that they will “resist” it and continue their campaign for a “square deal for workers. decent pay increases, and good working conditions”.
SEE ALSO: WHEN IS TWELFTH NIGHT 2023 AND WHAT ARE THE TRADITIONS?
Are there train strikes on January 4th?
Yes, there will be train strikes on January 3 and 4, as well as on January 6 and 7. This is when members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will be striking.
On top of these strikes, Aslef, the train drivers’ union, has called a strike on January 5.
Which train operators will be affected?
The following train operators will be affected by the RMT strikes on January 3, 4, 6 and 7:
- LNER
- Northern trains
- Avanti West Coast
- Southeastern
- Cross Country
- Chiltern Railways
- Greater Anglia
- Govia Thameslink
- London Underground
- West Midlands Trains (plus London Northwestern Railway)
- Great Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
The train companies affected by the Aslef strike on January 5 are:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- GTR Great Northern
- London North Eastern Railway
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- Southern/Gatwick Express
- South Western Railway
- SWR Island Line
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
What has Network Rail said about the strikes?
Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said that the RMT leadership “needs to think long and hard about what to do next”.
According to The Independent, Haines said: “Further strike a
ction will cause further misery for the rail industry and for their members who will lose pay.”
He called the news of the strike “especially frustrating”.
In other news, Are there train strikes on January 7th and 8th 2023?