Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union who work for Network Rail and 13 train operators are taking part in three days of industrial action - on Tuesday, June 21; Thursday, June 23, and Saturday, June 25. It's the biggest rail strike in 30 years, with fewer than one in five trains running on the strike days, bringing travel chaos to passengers across the UK.
Trains will only be running on main lines, however, those services will be starting later and finishing earlier. It will mean services that will run will only do so for about 11 hours on the strike days.
But what's behind the strike? We look at the key players in the dispute, what the union members asking for, how much rail workers are currently paid and who will be impacted by the industrial action.
Read more: Live updates as RMT staff walk out across the UK
Who has voted for the strike?
There are about 80,000 members of the RMT union. They include ticket inspectors, catering staff and engineers working for train companies. Members also include staff at Network Rail, which manages and operates the UK rail network, and includes signallers.
A total of 71% of those eligible took part in the vote, with 89% voting in favour of strike action and only 11% voting against.
When the result of the vote was announced, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch described it as an ”overwhelming endorsement by railway workers” and a “vindication of the union's approach”. He added that it sent a “clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies”.
What are the strikes about?
The RMT is demanding a fairer pay rise which also reflects its members efforts keeping the railways running through the height of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown in the UK.
The union is unhappy at a 2.5% pay offer currently being tabled by Network Rail, however, the train operators have not formally said what pay rise they would offer workers.
The RMT claims that its members have not had a pay rise in over three years, despite the inflation (RPI - retail price index) rate now reaching 11% as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
Up to 2,500 jobs are under threat, according to the unions, from efficiency savings the railway companies are proposing.
The firms claim they have to save money because of costs resulting from the Covid crisis, and changes such as many more people now permanently working from home.
Who is the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch?
The 60-year-old trade unionist, who grew up in central London, qualified as an electrician after leaving school at the age of 16. He worked in the construction industry until the early nineties when he was blacklisted after joining a trade union.
Unable to find work, he found a job with Eurostar and became active in the RMT union.
Twenty years after his blacklisting, he received a compensation settlement after it was ruled to have been illegally imposed on him.
He spent two terms as the union’s assistant general secretary and took over from Mick Cash, who stood down due to ill health, as general secretary in 2020. Cash had taken over the role after the sudden death of his predecessor, Bob Crowe in 2014.
Soon after his appointment, Lynch also stood down from the role, citing bullying from the RMT executive as his reason. He later stood for election for the permanent position of General Secretary, which he won, and returned to the role.
Does the rail strike affect the Tube/London Underground?
Members of the RMT and Unite unions will strike on Tuesday (June 21) in a separate industrial dispute.
Transport for London (TfL), the local government organisation responsible for a majority of the transport network in the capital, has warned people not to travel on the Tube during the strike action, which coincides with the first day of the national RMT strike.
It says that the disruption will be “severe”. Services will either be badly disrupted or will not run at all on the Circle Line, Jubilee Line, District Line, Hammersmith and City Line, Metropolitan Line, Northern Line, Central Line, Victoria Line, Bakerloo Line, Piccadilly Line, and the Waterloo & City Line.
There will also be knock-on effects to London Overground services, the new Elizabeth/Crossrail line, and on London Trams.
How will the rail strikes impact festival-goers heading to Glastonbury?
There will be around 200,000 people travelling to the five-day Glastonbury music festival, in Somerset, which takes place from Wednesday (June 22) through to Sunday, June 26.
However, there will reportedly be only eight services running from London to Castle Cary - the station closest to the Worthy Farm festival site, in Pilton - on Thursday (June 23).
There will be some services still running to the station from Bristol, but revellers are warned there will only be a handful. This means that trains that would normally be extremely busy are expected to be packed. It has resulted in a warning to travel by other means if at all possible as some passengers could end up being stranded.
Great Western Railway (GWR) has said: “Any customer booked onto any train service outside of the times we are able to operate will be able to travel on an earlier service/to help customers.
“GWR is allowing people with tickets for travel on strike days to be able to travel on the day before and up to two days after."
Will Scotland be affected by the rail strikes?
Up to 90% of train services in Scotland will be cancelled during the three days of strike action, according to ScotRail.
This is despite the fact that the Scottish train operator’s workers are not involved in the industrial action south of the border. The disruption is because its trains rely on Network Rail, whose staff are striking, to operate signal boxes and maintain the tracks.
ScotRail said it will only be running a limited service, which will be on just five routes in the country’s central belt. There will be no trains on any other routes in Scotland on all three strike days.
Services that will be running on a dramatically scaled back timetable will start from 7.30am, with the last trains of the day departing before 6.30pm.
They include: Edinburgh to Glasgow, via Falkirk High (two trains per hour0;
Edinburgh to Bathgate (two trains per hour); Glasgow to Hamilton/Larkhal (two trains per hour); Glasgow to Lanark (two trains per hour), and Edinburgh to Glasgow, via Shotts (one train per hour).
Why will train services still be affected on non-strike days?
Rail operators have warned that there will be disruption to many of their train networks from Tuesday (June 21) right through to Sunday (June 26), with some routes affected more than others.
Network rail has said there will be disruption across the whole six days because of the knock-on effect of the strikes. Just 20% of train services will run on the three strikes themselves, and only 60% on the days in between, and on Sunday. As a result, special timetables have been brought in covering Tuesday to Sunday.
How close are the unions, the Government, Network Rail and the rail operators to a resolution?
Talks have been taking place ever since the result of the RMT ballot was announced on May 24. The government, so far, has attempted to stay clear of the process, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stating that it was up to the unions and employers to negotiate pay and conditions. This is despite Labour, and the unions, calling for the government to join the negotiations.
Last-minute talks did go ahead on Monday (June 20) as rail operators prepared to wind down their services ahead of the first day of strikes on Tuesday. But the RMT said it was determined to go ahead with the industrial action unless the employers move to make concessions.
Which rail operators are affected directly by the strikes?
RMT members working for the following companies were among those who voted for strike action: Network Rail; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country Trains; Greater Anglia; LNER; East Midlands Railway; c2c; Great Western Railway; Northern Trains; South Eastern; South Western Railway; Transpennine Express; Avanti West Coast, and West Midlands Trains
GTR (including Gatwick Express) members voted for action short of striking.
What is the offer on the table from the rail operators and Network Rail?
Negotiations have been taking place in private, however, no details of what the rail operators are offering workers as a result of the talks has been released to the public. Network Rail has said it is offering workers a 2.5% pay rise, which is deemed unacceptable by the RMT union.
In a statement released on Saturday (June 18), the RMT said: “In the past few weeks, discussions have been taking place at senior level with Network Rail, train operators and London Underground.
“Despite the best efforts of our negotiators no viable settlements to the disputes have been created.”
Who is striking?
RMT union members will be striking on the national networks on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. RMT members and Unite union members who work on the London Underground will also be striking on Tuesday (June 21) in a separate dispute with Transport for London (TfL).
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) is currently balloting its membres on potential strike action, or action short of a strike, in its own dispute with Network Rail and train operators over jobs, pay and conditions. The train operators include Network Rail, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER, Southeastern, Great Western Railway and C2C.
The TSSA said it is also concerned at reports that ticket offices at train stations could be closed as part of a potential move to online-only ticket sales.
Train drivers union Aslef announced on June 9 that it would be taking strike action over pay. Drivers at Greater Anglia will take part in a 24-hour strike beginning at one minute past midnight on Thursday (June 23). Tram drivers in south London voted for a 48-hour strike for better pay from a minute after midnight on Tuesday June 28, and again on Wednesday July 13 and Thursday July 14.
A planned strike on Hull Trains, scheduled for this Sunday, June 26, has been called off after what was described as “meaningful talks” took place over an improved pay deal.
What will be the impact of the strikes on the UK economy?
It is estimated that the industrial action planned across the railways will cost up to £100million. Economists believe that more than 250,000 people will not be able to get to work due to the strikes and knock-on disruption to the rail network and services this week.
According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the rail strikes will cost the UK economy about £100million - and £52million in London alone - due to staff absences and other disruption this week. It warns that knock-on effects to business and reduced spending could take that figure even higher.
What is the average salary for train drivers?
Train drivers in the UK earn an average wage of just over £54,000 a year, according to jobs and recruitment website Glassdoor.co.uk. The Office for National Statistics recorded the median salary for train and tram drivers in the UK as being £59,189 in 2021.
Aslef, the train drivers union, however, says that only 4% of train drivers in England, Scotland and Wales are members of the union. According to ONS figures, the median wage across rail travel assistants (ticket collectors, guards and information staff); rail construction and maintenance operatives (signallers and drivers' assistants), and tram and train drivers was £46,753.
The RMT union said the more accurate figure for its members was £33,000 because most of the drivers are in their own union, Aslef, adding that its membership also includes 10,000 cleaners who earn significantly less.
Will your employer pay you or allow you to take the day off on a strike day if you can’t get into work?
The short answer is it is up to your employer. Under the law, they don’t have to pay you if you can’t make it into work due to the train strikes. It is generally the employee’s responsibility to get into work if required to do so. An exception would be if transport laid on by the employer was cancelled. Depending on the company, your boss may allow you to take the day off as a lieu day, or as annual leave, but it is at their discretion. If you are able to work from home on the strike days then most employers would probably deem that as acceptable, but possibly not all.
Is there likely to be further industrial action?
Train drivers union Aslef announced on June 9 that its members would be taking strike action over pay. There will be a 24-hour strike beginning at one minute past midnight on Thursday (June 23). Tram drivers in south London also voted for a 48-hour strike for better pay from a minute after midnight on Tuesday June 28, and again on Wednesday July 13 and Thursday July 14.
Meanwhile, the RMT said there could be further strikes, possibly until Christmas, if no agreement could be reached on improvements to pay and conditions for its members. It general secretary Mick Lynch, in an interview with the Financial Times, said: “‘Until there is a settlement there will be a campaign of strike action, and other unions will join us.” He added: “I expect there to be more strikes.”
How do I claim compensation if my train is cancelled?
Network Rail has said that anyone whose train has been cancelled, delayed or rescheduled will be entitled to either a change - or a refund of their ticket. People are entitled to a full refund if their train was cancelled, according to the Citizens Advice service.
Most train companies belong to the Delay Repay scheme, which entitles train customers to 25% of the cost of a single journey if they are delayed by up to 30 minutes. That rises to a 50% refund if your train is an hour late and, a full refund if the delay is any greater.
Season ticket holders will also be able to claim a full refund on this week’s strike days.
Travellers can change their train tickets to next week if their journey is affected by the strikes and disruption they cause this week, but you need to check with your travel provider.
According to Citizens Advice, passengers need to approach the individual train operator to claim compensation. Most of them have an online form to fill in and it’s likely that you will need a photograph, or scan, of the ticket. Refunds are normally paid out within a month.
What if the rail strike means I miss my flight or have to cancel my holiday?
Most travel insurance policies will cover a claim on some of the costs for rebooking if you miss a flight due to your train being cancelled. In many cases, the cover will depend on whether you booked the flight while knowing there was going to be a train strike. It all depends on the individual travel cover and your individual circumstances in most cases. The Missed Departure section will normally cover air travellers who booked flights before the strikes were announced.
Anyone who has to cancel a hotel or other accommodation due to the rail strikes is advised to check with their travel insurer. If you are not covered then it may well be up to the good will of the people you have booked it with. You could also, however, face cancellation charges.
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