Misplaced Pages

2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis
A foodbank donation point in Sainsbury's, Slough, in June 2022
Background
Austerity (2010–19, 2021–24) COVID-19 pandemic (economic impact) Global energy crisis, inflation and chip shortage Russian invasion of Ukraine (economic impact)
Industrial action
Concluded: Higher education (2018–23) Stagecoach (2021–23) Barristers (2022) British Telecom (2022) Scotland bin workers (2022) Postal workers (2022–23) Ongoing: National Health Service (2022–) Railway workers (2022–)
v t e

The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers are represented by several unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF). The railway strikes commenced on 21 June 2022 after workers walked out over wages, planned changes to working practices – involving the removal of guards from trains, the reduction in the number of open ticket offices, and an increase in the age at which people could claim the young persons and senior citizen card – and the threat of redundancies. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, and involved 40,000 workers nationwide.

The dispute took place amid political interference by Conservative governments which blocked resolutions in England, and passed laws to restrict industrial action. They were unable to block a deal in Scotland and Wales as transport is devolved in those jurisdictions; as a result those disputes were resolved by the RMT in December 2022, and by ASLEF in May 2023. The Conservatives refused to negotiate in England until their defeat at the 2024 general election.

Labour, under Keir Starmer, pledged to renationalise passenger rail services and "reset" industrial relations. Negotiations resumed and the last disputes outside of London were resolved in September 2024. As of November 2024, the ASLEF dispute remains active in London, although strikes proposed within Avanti West Coast for December 2024 have since been suspended.

Background

The rail network of Great Britain has operated under a franchising system since its privatisation in 1997, with services in England, Wales, and Scotland being run by a number of operating companies. (Northern Ireland's network is managed separately.) Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the UK government relieved the companies of their franchises to protect them from financial harm, and issued new contracts that made rail revenue a government concern. Around £16 billion of public money was also given by government to support the railways during the pandemic. With revenue from train fares having fallen by an estimated £2 billion as a result of COVID, Network Rail and the various train operators were told to make savings. National negotiations for a wage increase for rail workers were ongoing, but with the Department for Transport (DfT) stating this had to be "with clear direction from government about the modernisation that needs to be achieved".

Modernisation programme

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has claimed that Network Rail is threatening to cut safety-critical jobs (an allegation rejected by Network Rail) as part of its modernisation programme, which would also include an increase in working hours. In 2022, rail workers also asked for a 7% pay rise to keep up with rising inflation (which stood at 9.1% in June 2022), but were initially offered 2%, with an extra 1% linked to redundancies. Critics of the strike, including Network Rail, point to changing commuter habits, such as a reduction in ticket office use, as well as more working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, and passenger numbers continuing to be significantly below pre-COVID levels. The need for efficiency improvements and an end to outdated practices has also been highlighted, cited examples include requiring teams of up to nine people to do a job that could be completed by one person, and "walking time" of up to 12 minutes for staff members walking from their duties to the mess room during their breaks. On 23 June 2022, The Guardian reported it had seen documents confirming rail operators planned to "repurpose" all ticket offices within 18 months, requiring customers to buy every ticket online or via a ticket machine. The documents reportedly also contain plans to hire new employees on inferior terms and conditions, including a requirement they work on Sundays and work for longer to qualify for a pension. According to The Guardian this is linked to a maximum 3% pay rise.

Government response

While discussions have been ongoing between the RMT and the various train companies, the UK Government initially took a hands-off approach to negotiations. Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport until 6 September 2022, under the second Johnson ministry, said that it was not the government's job to negotiate with unions over pay and conditions. This stance has drawn criticism from RMT union officials, such as General Secretary Mick Lynch, as well as some politicians, including Conservative MP Jake Berry, who urged the government to join discussions. On 30 July 2022, Mick Whelan, General Secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), another rail union involved in a dispute over pay and conditions, said during an appearance on LBC that he had not spoken to the Secretary of State for Transport for over two years, saying the last time they had spoken was "very early on in the pandemic".

Initial ballot

Following a ballot of National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers members over whether to take industrial action, it was announced on 24 May 2022 that they had voted in favour of strike action, paving the way for the UK's first national rail strike for three decades. Workers at Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains voted to strike, with 71% of those balloted taking part in the vote; of those 89% voting in favour of strike action and 11% against. The ballot at Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern did not support strike action but supported industrial action short of a strike. Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT said the decision "sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies". The action would see the largest outbreak of industrial action in the United Kingdom since 1989, and the first national strike involving the UK's railways since 1994, when signal workers walked out over a pay dispute with Railtrack.

Industrial action

Nationwide period (2022-23)

Initial strikes

On 7 June, initial strike dates were announced for 21, 23 and 25 June, with rail employees at Network Rail and 13 train operators joining the action. It was also announced that the 21 June strike would coincide with a planned 24-hour strike to be held by workers on the London Underground. Talks between the RMT and managers at the train operators affected were held in an attempt to avoid the strike, but after these reached impasse, on 18 June it was confirmed the rail and tube strikes would go ahead. Last-ditch talks on 20 June also failed to reach an agreement, meaning the strike would go ahead the following day, with talks breaking down after Network Rail management informed the RMT of its intention to consult on plans for 1,800 redundancies. The 21 June walkout involved 40,000 rail staff, as well as 10,000 workers from London Underground. A further round of talks on 22 June also concluded without resolution, leading to a second day of industrial action on 23 June. It was reported on 24 June that talks remained deadlocked, meaning a third day of industrial action was inevitable. On 30 June, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) confirmed its members at Avanti West Coast had voted overwhelmingly for strikes and action short of a strike, ostensibly over the same issues that had triggered the RMT dispute, with 86% voting for strike action and 91% voting for action short of a strike on a 91% turnout. The union said it also planned to ballot staff at Network Rail and other train companies who operate at stations along the West Coast Main Line.

Summer 2022 talks and further action

Talks between the RMT and Network Rail resumed on 30 June, with union leaders warning of further strike action if the consultation, scheduled to begin the following day, was to go ahead. The RMT argued the regulations were incompatible with their demand for no compulsory redundancies. Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) at eight train operators voted to take strike action in a dispute over pay, while members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) at Southeastern also voted to take industrial action on 11 July. Network Rail made a fresh pay offer the following day, which it said was worth more than 5%, but that was again linked to workers accepting "modernising reforms". They refused to make any further improvements on their pay offer, and made threats on redundancies and pay if strike action was not withdrawn. On 13 July, the RMT announced a fourth day of strike action after rejecting Network Rail's latest pay offer, which it described as "paltry". In a press release on 22 July, the RMT union additionally accused Network Rail of "threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work" if strike action was not withdrawn. On 14 July, ASLEF announced that train drivers at eight train companies – Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, LNER, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands Trains – would strike on 30 July, involving around 5,500 union members. RMT strikes at Network Rail and 14 train operators were announced for 18 and 20 August, with the TSSA later announcing it would also strike on these two dates. On 30 July, 5,000 members of ASLEF at eight rail companies, including Southeastern and West Midlands Trains, staged a 24-hour strike. On 5 August, Network management staff belonging to the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association voted to accept a 4% pay rise, meaning the railway network would be able to continue providing a skeleton service on strike days.

A fifth day of RMT strike action went ahead on 18 August, with Network Rail signal workers from England, Scotland and Wales also joining the industrial action. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch warned that the dispute could go on "indefinitely" unless a pay settlement is reached. Additionally, RMT members in London planned to stage a 24-hour strike on 19 August, effecting the majority of services in London. The RMT staged their sixth day of nationwide strike action on 20 August. Shapps said that a revised pay deal worth 8% was on the table, but that the union bosses would not put this proposal to their members. He urged the RMT to accept what he described as a "fair" deal, but Lynch said that "only half the people in this dispute" would be covered by the deal. On 25 August, train drivers at Chiltern Railways, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express belonging to the ASLEF union voted to take strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Further strikes were planned for September by all three unions, but these were cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. On 20 September, both the RMT and ASLEF unions announced a strike for 1 October, with ASLEF announcing an additional strike for 5 October. On 22 September an RMT strike was announced for 8 October, which the union described as "effectively shutting down the railway network". The strike on 1 October involved around 54,000 workers from four trade unions – the RMT, ASLEF, the TSSA and Unite – and was the most disruptive of the strikes to date. As the 8 October strike approached, and with no further national strikes scheduled for after then, Mick Lynch announced that members would be balloted to determine if they wished to continue with the strikes. On 19 October, the RMT announced a further three strike days for November, on 3, 5, and 7 November. On 25 October, the RMT announced these would be rescheduled to 5, 7, and 9 November to avoid Royal British Legion Poppy Day.

In Scotland, a separate strike was called for 10 October after the RMT rejected a 5% pay offer from ScotRail that was described as a "kick in the teeth". An RMT strike involving staff at Avanti West Coast was held on 22 October, forcing the cancellation of a number of services throughout the day.

November 2022 negotiations

On 4 November the RMT announced the strikes had been suspended and that they would enter into "a period of intensive negotiations" with Network Rail and the train operators. On 10 November, the ASLEF union announced that around 9,500 train drivers at 12 train operators would strike on 26 November. A strike by London Overground workers, also scheduled for 26 November, was suspended while they considered a fresh pay offer.

On 22 November, the RMT announced four 48-hour strikes in the run up to Christmas and early 2023, with strike action scheduled for 13–14 December, 16–17 December, 3–4 January and 6–7 January. On 5 December, RMT staff working for Network Rail (roughly half of those involved in the dispute) announced a strike over Christmas, beginning at 6pm on Christmas Eve and continuing until 6am on 27 December. On 20 December, ASLEF announced drivers at 15 train companies would strike on 5 January 2023, on the day between the two RMT strikes announced for January.

December 2022 RMT Scotland & Wales deal, government intervention in England

In December 2022 the Rail Delivery Group offered a pay rise worth 10%, and this was initially warmly received by the RMT. However in England the government intervened, reducing the offer to 8% and amending an expansion of Driver-only operated trains into the deal. This revision was then rejected by the RMT, with Lynch commenting "they might as well have come in with a fish and slapped me round the chops with it". The DfT in turn retorted that it was a "good offer for their membership that provides a significant uplift in pay and assurances around compulsory redundancies". The dispute was resolved with negotiations in Scotland and Wales, with Lynch noting that in those locations the DfT could not block a resolution between the unions and train companies as they could in England, as transport was devolved to the Scottish and Welsh governments. "There is no prospect of settling this dispute. If we had got an offer, we'd have had to consult. We're blocked by this government." He further alleged that the government wanted to keep the strikes going in order to make changes to strike laws. Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper stopped negotiating with ASLEF for an England deal at that time.

January 2023 negotiations

In January 2023, the Rail Delivery Group made their first pay offer to ASLEF, described as being worth 4% in backdated pay for 2022, and 4% in 2023. The pay rise would see the wages of train drivers rise by £5,000 by the end of 2023, and no compulsory redundancies until 2024, but was conditional on the acceptance of new working conditions. The changes included allowing managers to drive trains, changes in technology used for training, and flexible working changes including Sunday working. On 17 January 2023, ASLEF announced a further two strikes for 1 and 3 February.

On 19 January 2023 the Rail Delivery Group made a fresh offer to the RMT, with a backdated pay rise to 2022 and worth 5% for 2022 and 4% for 2023, but this was again linked to changes in working conditions. The RMT said they were "considering" the offer, but rejected it on 10 February. The Rail Delivery Group and Network Rail had described it as their "best and final" offer, and said they would seek further discussions. The deal was rejected by the RMT's executive committee, but the rail industry and UK government wanted the deal to be put to a vote of members. In response, the RMT announced four new days of strikes during March and April, with the dates confirmed as 16, 18 and 30 March, and 1 April.

March–April 2023 negotiations

RMT staff working for Network Rail called off the 16 March strike after being given a fresh pay offer. On 22 March the strikes scheduled for 30 March and 1 April were called off following discussions with RMT representatives of train company staff and the Rail Delivery Group. This offer was ultimately rejected in April, and fresh strike dates were announced for May and June. The Rail Delivery Group were accused by union leaders of changing the terms of the pay offer, something the Rail Delivery Group rejected. They also said they had been "blindsided" by the announcement of fresh strikes. Communication between ASLEF and the English rail companies ended in April, and had not resumed by September.

May 2023 ASLEF deal in Scotland & Wales

On 4 May 2023, members of the RMT voted to renew the union's mandate to take strike action for a further six months. The union voted in favour, and further strikes were announced for early June. The ASLEF dispute was resolved in Scotland and Wales after negotiations with devolved authorities and ScotRail; these resulted in pay offers that were accepted by the union.

England-only period (2023-24)

The Conservative government continued to block a resolution in England until its defeat at the 2024 general election. Scottish and Welsh transport are devolved matters, and so not under direct control of Westminster, which is why the dispute was resolved in those areas first. Whelan argued that Westminster needed to "act like the grown-ups in the room". On 22 June, three further days of strike action were announced by the RMT for 20, 22 and 29 July. ASLEF drivers for 16 train operators announced a six-day overtime ban beginning from Monday 3 July, threatening disruption to services.

July 2023 mass ticket office closure proposal

The RMT addressed rumours of mass ticket office closures on 26 June, commenting that they would "vigorously oppose" such action. The policy was announced by the English rail companies on 5 July 2023, when they launched a 21-day consultation over plans to closing hundreds of ticket offices at railway stations. The proposed changes have been criticised by disabled travellers, and involve statutory redundancy notices for hundreds of staff. For some train operators, the proposed cuts equate to two thirds of their workforce. Lynch downplayed notions of a swift resolution, noting that no minister had spoken to him since January, and that the train companies were not negotiating. By 26 July, organisers Transport Focus and London TravelWatch said they had received more than 170,000 responses from passengers. On 26 July the consultation process was extended until 1 September after organisers heard that not all train companies had provided the information in accessible format. By 29 July the RMT estimated that one billion pounds had been spent by the government to cover the losses of the train companies during the dispute, in order to remove the financial incentive for the rail companies to come to a resolution, and keep the dispute going. An RMT organised protest march took place in London on 31 August. Aslef indicated that no further negotiations with Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper had taken place since December, and negotiations with train companies had stalled in April.

On 31 October 2023, Harper confirmed the plans would be scrapped, and said the government "has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals" because they "failed to meet high passenger standards". This followed the public consultation into the cost-cutting proposals, which attracted 750,000 responses, in which 99% were objections.

November 2023 negotiations, RMT deal in England

On 19 October 2023, members of the RMT voted to stage a further six months of strike action. On 8 November, it was confirmed that members of the RMT would vote on a revised pay offer and guarantee of job security that would end the strike action if accepted. On 30 November, RMT members voted to accept the pay deal from 14 train companies, ending their dispute across much of England. No deal was reached with Transport for London, which means the dispute there is still ongoing, along with the England-wide ASLEF dispute. Further strikes were held in early December by ASLEF, and more were scheduled by the RMT for London in January 2024.

On 7 January the RMT announced that it had suspended its planned strike action after talks with Transport for London, after the mayor of London apparently made new funds available. The strikes had been expected to stop almost all underground services. On 14 February 2024, ASLEF announced that drivers at five train operators – Chiltern Railways, c2c, East Midlands Railway, Northern and TransPennine Express – had voted for a further six months of industrial action. Strikes continued intermittently through the spring as the train companies refused to negotiate; Whelan commented that April that it had been a full year since the last negotiations for ASLEF workers.

Labour government and return to negotiations

In April, Labour announced plans to renationalise passenger rail should it win the upcoming General Election. The Conservatives suffered a historic defeat, and negotiations were held with ASLEF for the first time since spring 2023. ASLEF were optimistic about the talks. On 14 August, ASLEF announced it would ballot its members on a revised pay offer following negotiations with the DfT. On 18 September, ASLEF announced that its members had accepted a pay deal of 15% from the UK government, ending two years of strike action albeit for in London. As of 18 September 2024, The membership of the RMT accepted their offer the following week.

This left only the dispute in London active; further strikes were called off in November 2024.

List of strikes

Action that was announced, but then suspended before it could take place, is struck through.

Impact

An emergency timetable was published for the week of 20–26 June 2022, with only half of lines open on strike days and rail operators running around 20% of the normal daily service, with priority given to mainline and urban services. Services were operated between 7.30am and 6.30pm, beginning later and finishing earlier than usual. Trains on non-strike days ran at 60%, with earlier services affected because of the knock-on effect of staff not having worked on the previous day. Ticketholders whose trains were cancelled because of industrial action were advised they would be entitled to a refund. People were advised not to travel by train on strike days unless their journey was essential, while roads and motorways were expected to be busier than usual, prompting National Highways to advise motorists to check their vehicles before setting out.

On 21 June, and on subsequent strike days, many areas of the UK were without train services, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester. On 21 June Sky News reported on the effectiveness of the strike, stating there appeared to have been less of an impact than anticipated, and cited the large number of white collar workers who would be able to work from home, as they had done during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sky's Paul Kelso reported a 2% increase in traffic in Greater Manchester when compared to the same day the previous week. Rail Business Daily reported a 13% increase in London traffic.

A BBC News report published on 22 June suggested that passengers in cities such as London, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow appeared to have heeded advice not to travel as railway stations were virtually empty, while ScotRail, which was not involved in the dispute, cancelled 90% of their services because of their reliance on staff from Network Rail. Rail services in Wales were also reported to be running at around 10%, with the few operating services by Transport for Wales Rail also not in dispute with the RMT, centred on the Core Valley Lines north of Radyr, which were transferred to the Welsh Government from Network Rail in 2020, as well as a GWR Cardiff to London service. A similar picture also emerged on 23 June, with empty railway stations as people remained at home. Gemma Dale, a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University Business School, suggested the ability of white collar workers to work from home has lessened the strike's potential impact and taken pressure off the government to bring a swift resolution to the situation.

The 21 and 23 June strikes fell on days when A-Level examinations were scheduled to take place in England and Wales, with around 90,000 students taking a maths exam on 21 June and 55,000 taking a chemistry exam on 23 June. FE Week reported that further education colleges had been required to pay taxi fares for students who would normally travel to college by train, or arrange bed and breakfast accommodation to ensure they could sit the exams, mentioning Hereford Sixth Form College as an example of one such institution that had done so. The Department for Education said that it "did not expect exams to be rescheduled because of the strike", because "this would not be fair on students", but establishments could "draw on existing contingency arrangements" such as budgets when there was no alternative solution. Some colleges had also re-established remote learning classes first used during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to minimise disruption to their students' education.

ITV News highlighted the impact the railway's industrial action was having on retail businesses that rely on train passengers, such as coffee shops located in railway stations, with one outlet reporting a 90% drop in footfall on the first day of strike action. On 24 June The Scotsman reported on the potential impact on the hospitality industry. Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, suggested that the initial three days of strikes planned in June may lose the industry as much as £50 million.

The strike action coincided with the 2022 Glastonbury Festival, an event that usually sees an increase in the number of rail passengers. On 23 June BBC News reported that around 25 festivalgoers were waiting at London's Paddington station for trains going to Glastonbury, suggesting many had either travelled on non-strike days or found other ways of getting to the festival. The third day of action also coincided with a Test cricket match in Leeds, prompting TransPennine Express to urge people to avoid travelling there by train.

On 27 July, BBC News reported that one in five trains were running, but that some places such as Blackpool, Bournemouth and Portsmouth had no services, and it was expected the strike action would affect travel to the 2022 UEFA Women's Euro semi-final in Milton Keynes. The ASLEF strike action on 30 July coincided with the 2022 Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham from 28 July to 8 August, as well as the opening day of the 2022–23 English Football League season on 30 July, impacting both events. On 30 July, West Midlands Trains ran an emergency shuttle service between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International, while in London travel to Lady Gaga's Chromatica Ball show in Tottenham was affected by a lack of London Overground services.

Ahead of the 13 August ASLEF strike Network Rail confirmed that Birmingham New Street station, the UK's busiest railway station outside London, would be closed for the day, with drivers from four of the five companies that use New Street – Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway – taking industrial action. Transport for Wales, whose drivers are not involved in the strike, announced its services to Birmingham would terminate at either Wolverhampton or Shrewsbury. Transport for London also warned passengers there would be no London Overground services on the strike day. Other train operators planned a limited service, with London North Eastern Railway running one return service between Leeds and London and a limited London to Edinburgh timetable, while Great Western would run a limited service between Bristol and London Paddington, as well as Reading and Oxford. Events impacted by this strike included a Coldplay concert at Wembley Stadium and English Premier League fixtures, with concertgoers and spectators advised to make alternative travel arrangements. The 13 August strike also coincided with a severe heat wave for which the Met Office had issued an amber heat warning. This prompted National Highways to urge drivers to plan any journeys in advance as the lack of trains would lead to an increase in road traffic.

On 18 August, Network Rail planned to run around 4,300 train services, the highest number to operate on a strike day, but still only 20% of the network. The RMT strike involving railway workers in London on 19 August would affect large parts of the network in London, but Transport for London confirmed trains on the Elizabeth line would be operating relatively normally throughout the day. Events impacted by the 20 August strike included a Becky Hill concert at London's Crystal Palace Park and the All Points East festival in Victoria Park. Camp Bestival in Shropshire was also in progress that weekend, but it was believed most of those attending were already present, having arrived earlier in the week, so the impact to travellers would be minimal.

As the 1 October strike involved signal workers and drivers, only 11% of train services would be running. The strike would also coincide with the 2022 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, a city where no trains would be running, while the 2022 London Marathon on 2 October also faced disruption as an overhang from the previous day's strike. Following the announcement of strikes in November, the Royal British Legion announced it would cancel its London Poppy Day fundraising event scheduled for 3 November and look at other ways to "lessen the impact" of the expected £1million loss the event's cancellation would cause. The RMT subsequently rescheduled the 3 November strike to 9 November to avoid affecting the Poppy Day appeal. Because the strikes scheduled for early November were called off at the eleventh hour, Network Rail warned that services on 5 November would still be "severely disrupted" while services on 7 November would also be affected. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the UK's train operators, said this was because rotas are agreed with train drivers a week in advance.

In November 2022, the UK hospitality sector estimated the strike action had cost it £1.5bn, a similar amount to the impact on the sector of the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The Rail Delivery Group estimated that £300m of sales had been lost because of the strikes.

The strikes announced for May and June 2023 would coincide with the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on 13 May and the 2023 FA Cup final on 3 June. Speaking shortly after these strikes were announced, Mark Harper, the Secretary of State for Transport, accused the rail unions of "cynically targeting the Eurovision song contest", something he described as "appalling that's not our song contest. We're hosting it for Ukraine". On 19 July 2023, the Latitude Festival opened its campsite a day early to help festivalgoers avoid potential travel disruption. The August 2023 strike coincided with that year's Reading and Leeds Festivals and Notting Hill Carnival.

Response

UK Government

At a meeting of his cabinet on 21 June 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK should be prepared to "stay the course" because "these reforms, these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public, they will help to cut costs for farepayers up and down the country". On the second day of strike action, Downing Street urged union members to call off the strikes "as quickly as possible", but Lynch warned that the strike on 25 June was likely to go ahead, along with future industrial action. He also urged Shapps to "tone down the rhetoric and get on with his job" as a third day of industrial action got under way on 25 June.

As the strike got underway, Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, confirmed government plans to make changes to the law that would allow agency workers, or those from elsewhere within an organisation, to fill the jobs of striking workers, and for rules that would ensure "minimum service levels" during industrial action. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 and Liability of Trade Unions in Proceedings in Tort (Increase of Limits on Damages) Order 2022 were brought before Parliament on 27 June. The new regulations repealed previous legislation that prohibited the use of agency staff to replace striking workers, and raise the amount of damages a company can seek from a trade union because of industrial action from £250,000 to £1 million. In addition it will also repeal the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 passed by the Senedd to outlaw the practice of using agency workers during strikes that occur in Wales. The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2022 was approved by MPs by 289 votes to 202 on 11 July, and came into force on 21 July.

Although any legislation would not be quick enough to prevent disruption from the strike action in June, the UK government argued it was required because "unions are threatening action across the economy". But the Trades Union Congress (TUC) criticised the plans, saying they undermined the right to strike and would put safety at risk. TUC Secretary General Frances O'Grady accused the government of being "more interested in cynically picking a fight with unions than reaching a negotiated settlement", while Kwasi Kwarteng, the Secretary of State for Business, said that a situation where trade unions "are holding the country to ransom by grinding crucial public services and businesses to a halt" is one that was "not sustainable". But some industry figures have expressed caution. On 1 July the directors of 13 of the UK's largest recruitment companies, including Hays plc, Adecco Group, Randstad NV and ManpowerGroup, wrote to the business secretary urging him to reconsider the plans amid concerns they could further exacerbate the situation.

On 27 June the UK government announced that it would "legislate to remove the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 through primary legislation when Parliamentary time allows, to ensure trade union legislation applies equally across Great Britain". The Welsh branch of the GMB trade union said that it would fight the plans, with its political officer Tom Hoyles accusing the UK government of "overstepping the mark", while the Welsh Government described the changes as "counter-productive and against everything we stand for in Wales" and said they would "resist" attempts to overturn the 2017 Act. But BBC News reported that the 2017 law had been passed before changes the Senedd's powers had made clear industrial relations is a "reserved" matter for Westminster.

During a televised debate between the two candidates in the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election held on 25 July, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss responded affirmatively to a question on whether they would legislate to prohibit strikes on "essential public services like the railways". On 18 August The Times reported that Shapps had announced a 16-point government plan to offset the impact of industrial action, which includes lifting the ban on the use of emergency powers to prevent strikes if they could create a national emergency, introducing legislation to ensure a minimum level of services during industrial action, and raising the required threshold of support for strike action from 40%.

Alleged political interference

The RMT has alleged several times throughout the dispute that the UK government has intervened to keep the dispute going, in order to pass legislation restricting unions. The government intervened to block a nationwide resolution to the RMT dispute in December 2022. The government were unable to intervene in Scotland and Wales, as transport is devolved, and the dispute was resolved by the deal in those areas. By July 2023 the RMT estimated that one billion pounds had been spent by the government to cover the losses of the train companies during the dispute, in order to remove the financial incentive for the rail companies to come to a resolution, and keep the dispute going.

Labour Party

Labour Party leader (and Leader of the Opposition) Keir Starmer drew criticism from the RMT, as well as some members of his own party, for choosing not to support the strike action. He also instructed Labour MPs not to join picket lines, but several, including John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Kate Osborne and Nadia Whittome, then went on to do so. Commenting on this, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "a serious party of government does not join picket lines". On 27 July, Labour MP Sam Tarry was dismissed from his post as a shadow transport minister after joining picketing railway workers at London's Euston station. Labour said his dismissal had nothing to do with his decision to join the picket line, but was due to unauthorised media interviews he gave throughout the day.

Network Rail

On 29 August 2023, it was reported that Network Rail would not pay annual bonuses worth around £300 to staff members who took part in strike action. The decision, which would affect around 20,000 employees, follows the resolution of the RMT dispute with Network Rail in March 2023, when members voted to accept a 5% pay rise.

Public opinion

A YouGov poll found that in October 2022, 45% of British adults strongly or somewhat support the rail strike compared to 42% who strongly or somewhat oppose it. According to a poll by Savanta ComRes in December 2022, 47% of respondents supported rail strike action, 34% opposed and 19% were undecided. YouGov found that support for striking rail unions remained consistent throughout the first half of 2023, following a similar pattern to other unions.

Other industrial disputes

Other disputes within the railway sector

On 9 June 2022, members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen (ASLEF) voted to strike in a separate dispute. The union, which represents train drivers, announced plans to hold strike action on 23 and 26 June and 13 and 14 July. The train operators affected were Hull Trains, Greater Anglia and Tramlink. ASLEF members staged a strike on 2 July, affecting 90% of train services operated by Greater Anglia.

On 22 June 2022 it was reported that members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) had voted to accept a 7.1% pay rise following an ongoing dispute with Merseyrail which had led to strike action. Unlike the train operators involved in the national dispute, Merseyrail is a fully devolved train operating company and therefore not required to consult the government on issues such as levels of pay and industrial disputes. Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the TSSA, described the deal as "a sensible outcome to a reasonable offer".

On 24 June 2022, members of the RMT working on the London Underground voted to continue with strike action for a further six months in an ongoing dispute over pensions and job cuts. The continued industrial action was supported by 90% of voting members on a 53% turnout. On 3 August RMT workers on the London Underground network, and London Overground trains served by Arriva Rail London, announced a 24-hour strike for 19 August; workers at Arriva Rail London had rejected a 5% pay offer. On 6 July 2023, RMT workers on the London Underground announced six days of strikes from Sunday 23 July to Friday 28 July.

On 16 June 2023, drivers at Avanti West Coast announced a one day strike on 2 July over the terms of sick pay. This strike, concerning a separate dispute to the long-term industrial dispute, was subsequently called off on 22 June after Avanti agreed to remove the policy regarding sick pay.

Strikes were planned on the London Underground between 23 and 28 July 2023, with the RMT set to walk out for six days, while members of Unite and ASLEF would strike on 26 and 28 July. On 21 July it was announced the strikes had been called off following last minute talks between union representatives and Transport for London.

Disputes in other sectors

Industrial action involving the railways coupled with potential unrest in other sectors sparked media concerns of a "summer of discontent" involving multiple disputes and strikes, and mirroring the Winter of Discontent of 1978–79 that had seen widespread disruption across the UK economy. On 19 June The Observer reported that the National Education Union would ballot its 450,000 members on industrial action if teachers did not receive a pay rise close to the rate of inflation, while it was also reported that Unison had warned of industrial action among medical staff if they were not offered a pay rise. On 23 June, it was announced that 700 staff at Heathrow Airport who belong to the GMB and Unite unions had voted to hold strike action during the summer holidays, when the number of overseas travellers was expected to be at pre-pandemic levels. On 7 July the strike action was suspended following further discussions between union representatives and British Airways, which had resulted in what the union described as a "vastly improved" pay offer.

On 27 June, members of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales began four weeks of industrial action after rejecting a 15% pay rise; the walkout disrupted 90% of proceedings at the Old Bailey as barristers demanded a 25% increase. Having rejected a 15% pay offer from the government, on 22 August it was announced that barristers had voted to strike indefinitely from 5 September, with 79.9% of those voting on the issue in favour of the plans.

On 27 June, it was announced that members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at 114 Crown Post Offices, the largest branches typically on a high street or city centre, would walk out on 11 July in an ongoing dispute over pay. It would be the third time the union had staged industrial action during 2022 after members rejected a 3% pay rise and £500 lump sum.

On 28 June, GPs at the Annual General Meeting of the British Medical Association voted to take industrial action over new contracts requiring them to work on weekday evenings and Saturdays. On 29 June, Royal Mail managers belonging to the Unite union voted to take industrial action in a dispute over redundancies and a redeployment programme to bring in what they described as "worsening terms and conditions"; the vote for strike action was 86% in the UK mainland and 89% in Northern Ireland. On 19 July Royal Mail workers belonging to the Communication Workers Union voted to take strike action; the stoppage would involve roughly 115,000 staff members. The first of four one day Royal Mail strikes was held on 26 August, with further industrial action planned for 31 August, and 8 and 9 September.

On 30 June CWU members working for BT Group voted to take industrial action over pay, with strike action expected to involve around 40,000 of the company's frontline workers, mostly engineering and call centre staff, and would be BT's first nationwide industrial action since 1987. Two days of strike action were subsequently announced for 29 July and 1 August, and went ahead as scheduled.

On 1 July it was confirmed that roughly 370 Unite members employed as bus drivers at Stagecoach in Merseyside would begin eight days of strike action from 4 July in a dispute over wages.

On 5 August, the Unite union announced that 1,900 workers at Felixstowe Docks, one of the UK's largest ports, would stage an eight-day strike from 21 August after rejecting a 7% pay rise from the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company. Unite described the pay offer as "significantly below" the rate of inflation. The strike represented the first such industrial action for three decades. Around 1,600 Unite members working for London United Busways staged a 48-hour strike on 19 and 20 August, affecting bus routes in West and South West London, as well as parts of Surrey.

On 28 August it was reported that the Unison and Unite unions had submitted motions ahead of the Trades Union Congress, due to be held in September, calling for co-ordinated strike action throughout the autumn as a way to create a greater impact.

On 9 November, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced it had a mandate to strike in the majority of NHS trusts. On 17 November, the union warned the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, that he had 5 days to open formal negotiations or strikes would be announced for December 2022.

See also

• 2016–2019 United Kingdom railway strikes
• 2022 British barristers' industrial action
• Rail transport in the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom cost of living crisis

Notes

1. Tram drivers in South London only.
2. Tram drivers in South London only.
3. RMT strikes on 20 & 22 July only
4. Rail Gourmet caterers only
5. London Underground only
6. London Underground only
7. Precise dates varied by operating company, and was also accompanied by an overtime ban
8. Rolling action across different lines on different days, plus an overtime ban
9. England, Scotland and Wales

References

1. ^ "Mick Lynch: government is deliberately ensuring rail strikes go ahead". The Guardian. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
2. "RMT, ASLEF and TSSA Unions agree pay deal with Transport for Wales". RailAdvent. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
3. "Pay deal in Wales 'shows Westminster Government is odd one out in rail dispute'". MSN. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
4. Topham, Gwyn (17 July 2024). "Labour to hold talks with Aslef over rail strikes next week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
5. "Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years". BBC News. 24 April 2024.
6. "Train strikes announced for May Bank Holiday week". BBC News. 22 April 2024.
7. "Labour outlines plan for some rail public ownership". BBC News.
8. "Train drivers accept pay deal bringing end to strikes in England". BBC News. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
9. "Rail strikes: Travel disruptions continue after talks to stop third walkout fail". BBC News. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
10. Topham, Gwyn (21 June 2022). "UK rail strikes – the truth behind the claims and counter-claims". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
11. ^ Topham, Gwyn (20 June 2022). "Biggest UK rail strikes in decades to go ahead after last-ditch talks fail". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
12. Ungoed-Thomas, Jon; Savage, Michael (18 June 2022). "Network Rail in last-ditch bid to stop train strike causing chaos across UK". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
13. ^ "Train services cut as RMT rail strike enters third day". the Guardian. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
14. "Rail strike disrupts journeys for millions". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
15. Bland, Archie (21 June 2022). "What are the UK rail strikes about and how long will they go on?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
16. "Rail strike to go ahead as Shapps accused of 'wrecking' negotiations". Express and Star. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
17. Stephens, Daisy (22 June 2022). "Union slammed over outdated rail practices where 'nine workers are needed to change plug'". LBC. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
18. "RMT rail strike dates and why there could be more after this week's walkouts". inews.co.uk. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
19. ^ Topham, Gwyn (23 June 2022). "Rail strikes: commuters stay home on day two of action as talks resume". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
20. Mason, Rowena (19 June 2022). "Shapps says it is 'crazy' to suggest Tories want rail strikes to go ahead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
21. Preskey, Natasha (25 June 2022). "Rail strikes: Union boss urges government to 'tone down rhetoric'". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
22. Mason, Rowena; Topham, Gwyn (19 June 2022). "Rail strikes: anger as UK government refuses to join last-ditch talks". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
23. "Rail chaos: Union boss claims 'no contact' with Shapps for 2 years as pay row rumbles on". LBC. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
24. "Rail strike: RMT union votes for national action". BBC News. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
25. "The dates of the train, Tube and bus strikes this week, and how services will be affected". inews.co.uk. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
26. Stubbings, David (20 June 2022). "When are the rail strikes? Dates and lines affected in the Black Country and Staffordshire". www.expressandstar.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
27. "Rail strike: RMT workers vote for biggest strike action in decades". ITV News. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
28. Sillars, James (7 June 2022). "Thousands of rail workers to walk out for three days in June in biggest strike since 1989". Sky News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
29. Lea, Robert (23 May 2022). "Signallers are centre of attention in vote over national rail strike". The Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
30. Gill, Oliver (7 June 2022). "Biggest rail strike in a generation to paralyse UK travel network". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
31. "Rail and tube strikes confirmed as talks fail". BBC News. 18 June 2022. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
32. Mills, Jen (20 June 2022). "Rail strikes will go ahead after last ditch talks fail". Metro. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
33. "Rail Union Says "Silent Hand Of Government" Is Blocking Deal To End Strikes". Politics Home. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
34. ^ "Crunch talks between RMT and Network Rail begin as union threatens further strikes". Sky News. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
35. "A day of national strike action". Rail Business Daily. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
36. "Rail strike: Thursday walkout to go ahead as talks collapse". BBC News. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
37. "Rail strikes: Disruption continues amid weekend warning". BBC News. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
38. "TSSA members vote in favour of strikes at Avanti West Coast". 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
39. "Train drivers vote for rail strikes over pay". BBC News. 11 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
40. "Network Rail puts fresh pay offer to unions". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
41. ^ "Rail strikes to go ahead next Wednesday". BBC News. 25 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
42. ^ "RMT confirms national rail strike to go ahead next Wednesday". RMT. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
43. "Rail strike: New walkout to take place on 27 July". BBC News. 13 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
44. ^ "Train drivers to go on strike on 30 July". BBC News. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
45. "Rail workers to walk out for two days in August". BBC News. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
46. "Rail union announces two days of strike action adding to planned disruption on network". Sky News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
47. ^ "Disruption as train strike hits weekend travel". BBC News. 30 July 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
48. "Network Rail managers accept 4% pay rise that could ease strike disruption". The Guardian. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
49. ^ "Train strikes: Passengers face disruption as rail services hit". BBC News. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
50. "Train strikes: Passengers face disruption as rail services hit". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
51. ^ Hughes, David (18 August 2022). "How the Elizabeth Line is affected by the Tube strike in London on 19 August". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
52. ^ "Rail strikes: Passengers told not to travel by rail as disruption hits". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
53. "Train drivers at three more operators vote to strike". BBC News. 25 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
54. "Train strikes: Rail workers to stage two days of fresh walkouts, RMT union says". BBC News. 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
55. Gartside, Ben (8 September 2022). "RMT suspends rail strikes on September 15 and 17 following Queen's death". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
56. "Train strikes could impact the London Marathon". BBC News. 20 September 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
57. "Rail strikes: New date set for 40,000 workers to walk out". BBC News. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
58. "Train strike: Worst rail disruption of year as workers walk out". BBC News. 1 October 2022. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
59. ^ "Rail strikes: Passengers face disruption on 11th different day of action". BBC News. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
60. "RMT union announces November rail strike dates". BBC News. 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
61. ^ "Rail strike date moved over London Poppy Day clash". BBC News. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 25 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
62. "Avanti West Coast rail services axed amid strike action". BBC News. 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
63. ^ "Train strikes: Series of walkouts from Saturday suspended". BBC News. 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
64. "Train drivers will strike again over pay". BBC News. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
65. "Train strikes: Drivers walk out in pay row". BBC News. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
66. "Train strikes: Rail workers to strike in run-up to Christmas". BBC News. 22 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
67. "December train strikes: Extra walkouts planned over Christmas". BBC News. 5 December 2022. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
68. "Train drivers announce new January strike date". BBC News. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
69. "Train strikes: RMT rejects offer aimed at averting festive strikes". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 4 December 2022. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
70. Georgiadis, Philip; Rathbone, John Paul; Pickard, Jim (8 December 2022). "UK ministers blamed for blocking possible rail strikes deal". Financial Times.
71. "Ministerial comment on resolution in Network Rail dispute". Transport Scotland. Scottish Government. 20 March 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
72. "RMT wins TfW pay award". RMT.
73. ^ "ASLEF: Train drivers' union announces industrial action and asks 'Where's Wally?' | ASLEF". 15 September 2023.
74. "Train drivers offered pay rise in bid to end strikes". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 January 2023. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
75. "Train drivers to go on strike in February". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 17 January 2023. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
76. "RMT union rejects latest offers in rail dispute". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
77. "Rail workers given fresh pay offer in dispute". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
78. "Rail workers to stage more strikes in pay dispute". BBC News. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
79. Austin, Katy (7 March 2023). "RMT members suspend strike action at Network Rail". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
80. "Rail strikes planned in March and April suspended". BBC News. BBC. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
81. ^ "Rail strike on 13 May, day of Eurovision final". BBC News. BBC. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
82. Austin, Katy; Dempsey, Jemma (4 May 2023). "More train strikes likely after RMT votes for further action". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
83. Austin, Katy; Dempsey, Jemma (18 May 2023). "Train strikes: New RMT walkout means three strikes in four days". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
84. "Rail strikes: How England is being left behind Scotland and Wales in pay disputes". Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate. 18 May 2023.
85. "Rail strikes: How England is being left behind Scotland and Wales in pay disputes". Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate. 18 May 2023.
86. "Rail union announces three days of strikes in July". BBC News. BBC. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
87. Austin, Katy (2 July 2023). "Rail disruption warning due to six-day train drivers' overtime ban". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
88. Race, Michael; Austin, Katy (5 July 2023). "Train firms plan mass closures of ticket offices". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
89. "RMT condemns ticket office closures and slashing of station jobs". RMT. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
90. "RMT leader says government has not contacted him since January". The Guardian. 16 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
91. Rufo, Yasmin; Austin, Katy (26 July 2023). "Rail ticket office mass closure consultation extended". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
92. ^ "Taxpayers being used to fund rail dispute to the tune of £1bn". RMT. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
93. Topham, Gwyn (September 2023). "Unions urge 'final push' to save England's rail ticket offices". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
94. Austin, Katy; Gruet, Sam (31 October 2023). "Plans to close rail ticket offices in England scrapped". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
95. "Rail ticket office closures in England scrapped in government U-turn". The Guardian. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
96. "RMT union votes for six more months of rail strikes". BBC News. BBC. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
97. "RMT members to vote on deal that could end rail strikes". BBC News. BBC. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
98. "RMT union votes to end rail strikes until at least spring". BBC News. BBC. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
99. ^ "Train strikes: Full list of dates in December 2023 and rail lines affected". Sky News. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
100. Magee, Caolan (31 December 2023). "When are the next train strikes? If drivers could walk out again in Aslef dispute". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
101. Topham, Gwyn (7 January 2024). "London Underground tube strike called off after 'positive' talks with TfL". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
102. "Train drivers at five companies vote to continue strike action for another six months - ASLEF". Sky News. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
103. "Labour pledges to renationalise most rail services within five years". BBC News. 24 April 2024.
104. "Train strikes announced for May Bank Holiday week". BBC News. 22 April 2024.
105. Topham, Gwyn; correspondent, Gwyn Topham Transport (17 July 2024). "Labour to hold talks with Aslef over rail strikes next week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 July 2024. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
106. "Railnews - ASLEF predicts pay deal for drivers could be in sight". railnews.mobi.
107. Austin, Katy (14 August 2024). "Train strikes: Drivers' union 'on cusp of deal'". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
108. ^ Edwards, Charlotte; Dilley, Sean (18 September 2024). "Train drivers accept pay deal to end strike action". BBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
109. Simpson, Jack (25 September 2024). "RMT rail workers vote to accept pay deals". The Guardian.
110. "London Tube strikes called off after Aslef talks with TfL". BBC News. 5 November 2024.
111. Topham, Gwyn (5 December 2022). "More rail strike dates announced after RMT rebuffs pay offer". The Guardian.
112. "When are the train strikes in August? Rail strike dates 2022 | NationalWorld". 15 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
113. "TSSA members to strike across railways". 16 July 2023.
114. "Nine Train Operating Companies and Network Rail affected by September TSSA strike action". 31 August 2022.
115. "Saturday rail strikes". 16 July 2023.
116. "Strike announced on London's Elizabeth Line". 16 July 2023.
117. "Industrial Action | National Rail".
118. "Train strikes: Aslef drivers announce new date". BBC News. BBC. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
119. "January and February train strike dates: Everything you need to know about disruption". The Independent. 25 January 2024.
120. "London Underground customer service managers to strike over conditions". The Guardian. 24 April 2024.
121. "London Underground customer service managers to strike over conditions". The Guardian. 24 April 2024.
122. "Train operators outline strike timetables and mitigation tactics". Rail Technology Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
123. Merritt, Anita (21 June 2022). "Rail strikes cause major disruption in Devon". DevonLive. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
124. Enokido-Lineham, Olive; Phillips, Alexa (21 June 2022). "Rail strikes: Just 20% of Britain's services will be running when staff walk out – here's what you need to know about disruptions". Sky News. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
125. Williamson, Lucy (24 June 2022). "Martin Lewis says you can get refund for missed trains during strike". MyLondon. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
126. Morris, Seren (21 June 2022). "Train strikes: Which companies will be affected and will services be running?". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
127. "Traffic advice for drivers during rail strikes". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
128. "Rail strike: Millions faced delays and congestion on first day". BBC News. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
129. ^ "More rail strikes extremely likely, says union boss". BBC News. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
130. Kelso, Paul (21 June 2022). "Rail strikes: Working from home has made many jobs strike-proof". Sky News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
131. "A day of national strike action". 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
132. "Rail strikes: Wales hit by biggest rail strike in 30 years". BBC News. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
133. "Train strikes: How did passengers cope with day one?". BBC News. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
134. "Rail strikes: How will travel in Wales be affected by the disruption?". The National Wales. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
135. "Third day of strikes sees just 5 train lines running in Wales". ITV News. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
136. "Home working 'a problem' for effectiveness of rail strikes". The Independent. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
137. "Rail strikes: Colleges fork out for taxis and b&bs to get students to exams". feweek.co.uk. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
138. "Rail strikes putting our livelihoods at risk, warn traders". ITV News. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
139. "Rail strikes: Scottish hospitality businesses left counting £50 million cost of rail disputes". www.scotsman.com. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
140. "Glastonbury Festival: Rail strike fails to halt many music fans". BBC News. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
141. "Train strikes: Drivers to walk out over pay on 13 August". BBC News. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
142. "Train drivers at eight UK operators to strike on 30 July". The Guardian. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
143. Smith, Adam. "No trains through Birmingham New Street on Saturday during train drivers' strike". Shropshire Star. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
144. "Passengers reminded of Birmingham New Street station closure". thebusinessdesk.com. 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
145. "Rail strikes: No train services on some lines on Saturday". BBC News. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
146. "Train strikes cause more disruption for passengers". BBC News. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
147. "Train strikes and the heatwave cause more disruption for passengers". Channel 4 News. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
148. Stubbings, David. "Advice for travellers as roads set to be busier than usual during heatwave and rail strikes". Shropshire Star. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
149. "Rail strikes: no trains between London and major UK cities on Saturday". The Guardian. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
150. "London Poppy Day appeal cancelled due to RMT rail strikes". BBC News. 21 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
151. "Train passengers told to check before travelling on Monday". BBC News. 6 November 2022. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
152. "Rail chaos puts UK on track for some serious economic damage". The Guardian. 27 November 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
153. Nevett, Joshua (30 April 2023). "Rail strikes cynically targeting Eurovision, transport minister says". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
154. "Latitude festival opens earlier to avoid rail strikes disruption". BBC News. BBC. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
155. Thomas, Daniel; Meierhans, Jennifer; Austin, Katy (25 August 2023). "Train strikes to hit major events including Reading and Leeds festivals". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
156. "Summer Of Discontent On The Cards As Government Rules Out Big-Money Public Sector Pay Rises". HuffPost UK. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
157. Speare-Cole, Rebecca (25 June 2022). "RMT Calls on Shapps to 'Tone Down the Rhetoric'". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
158. Ford Rojas, John-Paul (21 June 2022). "Rail strikes: Laws will be changed to protect passengers from 'militant' union action in future, Grant Shapps says". Sky News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
159. "Industrial Action: Employment Agencies and Trade Union Liability". Hansard. UK Parliament. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
160. "Plan to use agency workers as strike breakers comes under fire". The Independent. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
161. ^ "UK Government allows agency staff to cover for striking workers". Employment Law Worldview. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
162. "Government acts to make it easier for businesses to use temporary staff to help ease disruptions caused by strike action". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
163. ^ "Rail strike: UK ministers to scrap Senedd ban on agency staff". BBC News. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
164. Devereux, Ella (13 July 2022). "MPs back proposals to replace striking staff with agency workers". Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
165. "Rail strikes: Agency staff could cover striking staff under new law". BBC News. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
166. "Government plan to change major law to prevent chaos in future strikes". St Helens Star. 23 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
167. "UK's biggest recruiters warn ministers not to hire agency staff to replace strikers". The Guardian. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
168. "BBC News Special, Our Next Prime Minister". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
169. Mitib, Ali (17 August 2022). "Train strikes: Shapps plans emergency powers to take on 'Luddite' trade unions". Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
170. "Rail strikes: Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has 'not lost control of his MPs' over industrial action, says shadow cabinet member". Sky News. 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
171. Hordon, Daniel (21 June 2022). "North East MP defies Labour bosses to join railway strikers on picket line". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
172. "'Workers need a pay rise not MPs': Labour MP donates part of salary to strike". ITV News. 25 June 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
173. "Keir Starmer sacks shadow transport minister who backed rail strikes". BBC News. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
174. "Network Rail axes bonuses for staff who went on strike". BBC News. BBC. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
175. "Daily Question | 06/10/2022 | YouGov". yougov.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
176. "Strikes Poll – Savanta – 13 December 2022 - Savanta". savanta.com. 13 December 2022. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
177. "Strike daily: How Wednesday's walkouts will affect you". MSN. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
178. "Strikes tracker: support has been consistent since beginning of 2023 | YouGov". yougov.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
179. Wood, Poppy (9 June 2022). "Rail strike disruption to last for nine days as Aslef drivers decide to join walk out". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
180. "Train drivers' strike to hit more than 90% of Greater Anglia services". The Guardian. 2 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
181. "UK rail workers around Liverpool vote to accept 7.1% pay deal". Reuters. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022 – via www.reuters.com.
182. Thorp, Liam (22 June 2022). "Merseyrail staff vote to accept 7.1% pay deal". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
183. "Merseyrail staff accept "sensible" 7% pay offer". BBC News. 22 June 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
184. "London Underground workers vote for more strike action". The Guardian. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
185. "London faces fresh travel misery as Tube and Overground staff to walk out on August 19". LBC. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
186. "Week of strikes to disrupt Tube services, RMT says". BBC News. BBC. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
187. "Avanti West Coast: Train drivers to strike over sick pay, Aslef says". BBC News. BBC. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
188. Wilkinson, Damon (22 June 2023). "A planned strike by train drivers on Avanti West Coast has been called off". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
189. Jackson, Liz (21 July 2023). "Tube strike: Unions call off action following talks". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
190. King, Ian. "Cost of living: Threat of 'summer of discontent' not unique to UK as unions flex muscles Europe wide". Sky News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
191. Moules, Jonathan (22 June 2022). "Britain's summer of discontent looks set to become a lot hotter". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
192. Fielding, Steven (11 June 2022). "Is Britain heading for a summer of discontent?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
193. Adu, Aletha; Sharma, Sonia (20 June 2022). "Teachers and nurses may join rail workers in next stage of strikes". chroniclelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
194. Race, Michael (23 June 2022). "British Airways Heathrow staff back summer strikes over pay". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
195. "Heathrow BA strike suspended after new pay offer". BBC News. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
196. "Barristers walk out of courts in strike over pay". BBC News. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
197. "Criminal barristers in England and Wales vote to go on all-out strike". BBC News. 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
198. "Post Office workers to strike over pay". BBC News. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
199. "GPs vote for industrial action over Saturday working after doctors demand 30% pay hike". LBC. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
200. "Royal Mail managers vote to strike over jobs dispute". The Guardian. 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
201. "Royal Mail workers to go on strike over pay". BBC News. 19 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
202. "Royal Mail strike: 115,000 postal workers begin strike". BBC News. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
203. "BT staff vote for first national strike in 35 years". The Guardian. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
204. "BT strike: Thousands of workers to take action for two days". BBC News. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
205. "BT and Openreach workers stage second strike over pay". The Guardian. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
206. "Fresh wave of strikes to hit transport and other services across UK". The Guardian. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
207. "Felixstowe: Workers at key UK port to strike for eight days". BBC News. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
208. "Felixstowe: Dock workers strike for first time in 30 years". BBC News. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
209. "When is the London bus strike and which routes are affected?". The Independent. 19 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
210. "UK's biggest unions propose co-ordinated strikes this autumn". BBC News. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
211. "Nursing staff vote to strike in the majority of NHS employers across the UK | Royal College of Nursing". The Royal College of Nursing. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
212. "RCN says government remains unprepared to support members with five days to go | News | Royal College of Nursing". The Royal College of Nursing. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.

• 2022 labor disputes and strikes
• 2023 labor disputes and strikes
• 2022 in British politics
• 2023 in British politics
• Rail transport strikes in the United Kingdom
• Premiership of Boris Johnson
• Premiership of Liz Truss
• Premiership of Rishi Sunak
• Premiership of Keir Starmer