Millions of travellers could face disruption this Christmas Eve as a fresh wave of strike action hits rail and Border Force services.
Passengers are being warned they could see severe delays across Greater Manchester's rail network, with fears that this could lead to congestion on the region's major roads. Some rail services will stop running early, and others not run at all, due to ongoing strikes by Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) workers.
Those travelling through Manchester Airport could also be hit by long queues and delays as Border Force staff prepare to enter their second day of strikes. However, passengers at the transport hub yesterday told the Manchester Evening News they had not faced major delays, despite the action.
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Reduced rail services mean trains will stop running at 3pm today, with the last train from London to Manchester at 12.48pm. Travellers are being warned that this could lead to a knock-on impact on the roads, with the AA predicting that nearly 17 million cars will be on UK roads on Saturday. The worst congestion is expected around the middle of the day.
Staff at Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, and Manchester Airports as well as the Port of Newhaven are striking over complaints about pay, pensions, and job security every day for the rest of the year, except December 27. Additionally, thousands of RMT members at Network Rail are striking in an ongoing dispute over pay.
It comes as unions signalled that there was no end in sight to strike action, with the Government refusing to budge as it grapples with disputes on pay and working conditions across an array of sectors.
Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union general secretary Mark Serwotka predicted there would be a “huge escalation” in industrial action in January across the civil service unless ministers enter into negotiations.
Despite the lack of chaos in airports, he insisted that the strike action “had worked” as he claimed that travellers were simply being “waved through” and passports were not being properly checked.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was “sad and disappointed” about the disruption, but argued that the Government had acted “fairly and reasonably” on public pay.
Meanwhile, postal deliveries and driving lessons are set to continue to be disrupted by strikes in the days before Christmas.
Royal Mail, National Highways and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) employees all took action on Friday, with strikes continuing into Saturday as RMT staff, Abellio London bus workers and Environment Agency workers launch separate waves of action.
This follows two days of strikes by NHS staff, with thousands of nurses walking out on Tuesday and ambulance workers joining picket lines on Wednesday.
Travellers considering taking the train on Christmas Eve have been told to only use rail services “if absolutely necessary”. Network Rail said trains will stop running at around 3pm on Christmas Eve.
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