Rail passengers will face severe travel disruption over Christmas and New Year as workers stage a series of strikes over the festive season. It comes after a long-running pay dispute between the RMT Union and the government over jobs, pay and conditions.
The RMT have confirmed more than 40,000 workers across Network Rail will stage a series of 48-hour walk-outs. Ahead of the strikes, which began today, it was revealed that 63.6 per cent voted to reject Network Rail’s offer on a 83 per cent turnout.
Last week, it was reported that the hospitality industry was bracing itself for a surge in cancellations ahead of Christmas due to the rail strikes, and a number of Manchester operators have expressed their concerns over a rise in cancelled bookings over the next few weeks. Strikes this month are expected to cost hospitality firms around £1.5 billion, with pubs and restaurants anticipating up to 40 per cent of bookings during the party season to be cancelled due to travel disruptions.
