Mick Lynch, union boss has warned against a weekend of rail chaos as it begins “synchronised”Strike action is threatened to stop the UK.
After long-running disputes about pay, job and conditions, the walk-out was called.
Walkouts that will create chaos throughout Sunday will affect Network Rail, London Underground, London Underground and buses in London.
Today, RMT members at Network Rail, (NR), and 14 train operators, TSSA member at seven companies and Unite members of NR went on strike.
This will have an impact on rail services Friday morning.
Speaking to Sky News, RMT boss Mick Lynch said: “There is a wave of reaction amongst working people to the way they’re being treated.
“I think there will be generalised and synchronised action. It might not be in the traditional form.
Read our Train strikes live blog below for the latest news & updates…
Who will take part in the strikes?
Walkouts that will create chaos throughout Sunday will affect Network Rail, London Underground, London Underground and buses in London.
After ongoing talks have failed to resolve the deadlock, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association, and Unite will take part in the industrial action.
Today will be a strike by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators. TSSA members at seven other companies, TSSA members in seven companies and Unite member at NR.
Chaos TODAY
Commuters are anticipating days of misery in travel ahead of the bus, tube and rail strikes which start TODAY.
Tens of thousands workers will go on strike after long-running disputes over wages, work conditions and other issues.
Tomorrow’s Morning: What should you expect
Tomorrow will see the capital grind to a standstill as hundreds of railway workers take to the rails once more.
Here’s how the lines will change:
- London Underground: Do not use it. There are severe delays and no night tubes.
- London Overground: No overnight services.
- Elizabeth line: Disruption.
- Trams: Huge delays.
- DLR: Daytime services running to Bank.
- Buses: Severe disruption
Ryanair is hit by over 100 cancellations, as travel chaos strikes the aviation sector
Wednesday saw Ryanair employees working across Spain’s operations.
According to reports, 127 flights were cancelled within a single day.
Madrid, Girona Girona Malaga, Seville and Valencia are all affected.
14 separate train operators strike today
The walkouts will cause chaos in London, disrupting train services, London Underground, and bus companies throughout the capital, up to Sunday.
After ongoing talks have failed to resolve the deadlock, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, Transport Salaried Staffs Association, and Unite will take part in the industrial action.
Today will be a strike by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators. TSSA members at seven other companies, TSSA members in seven companies and Unite member at NR.
EasyJet strikes start TOMORROW
The airline’s first strike occurred on August 12, and continued until August 14.
The second strike, which will last from August 19-21, is scheduled to start tomorrow.
The third and last strike will be held from August 27-29.
All three will are expected to disrupt flights at easyJet’s bases at Barcelona, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.
Central Line suffers severe delays
Despite strike action not being scheduled to start until tomorrow, the Central Line is experiencing severe delays.
Tomorrow Britain’s rail service will come to a halt.
Rail workers demand higher wages, better working conditions, and greater employment security.
Heathrow Express is at a standstill today
The Heathrow Express will not be running from 6:10pm this evening until tomorrow morning at 7am, so anyone arriving very late or early tomorrow morning will have to find alternative routes.
On August 20, trains won’t run before 7am or after 6:10pm.
Stansted Express has warned passengers to “avoid travelling with them”Today and the whole weekend are affected by strikes and engineering work.
The Thameslink strike will also affect passengers at Luton Airport, while passengers at Manchester Airport should expect a slower schedule and more passengers.
Brits may wish to pre-book a taxi to or drive to the airport in order to avoid travel chaos. There are limited trains and they will be packed.
RMT boss says unions are on the verge of a’synchronised strike’
Mick Lynch claims that unions are ready to unite in an act akin to general strikes.
Speaking to Sky News, the union boss said: “There is a wave of reaction amongst working people to the way they’re being treated.
“People are becoming poorer by the day. People can’t pay their bills. They’re getting treated despicably at the workplace. There will be a coordinated and generalised approach. It might not be in the traditional form.
“But we’ve seen the Post Office workers and BT [on strike] we’ve seen the bus workers in London out on strike tomorrow and over the weekend. I think there is a massive response coming from working people because they’re fed up with the way they’ve been treated.”
What will happen to Brits if there are strikes
Care worker Gbemi Nadi, says she will be forced to sleep in her car when the trains stop and can’t afford to drive to work each day.
Gbemi, from Marlow, Bucks, said: “If I don’t get to work vulnerable people are without medication and therapies. I am a leader of the team.
“People like me, who earn a lot less than a £59,000 train driver, are picking up the pieces.”
Laura Mills, a district nurse, is 31 years old and hails from Bognor Regis.
She said: “I was meant to take the train to see family in Yorkshire. I’m looking at hours on the road and £300 to fill my tank. It’s cheaper to not to take a holiday.”
Mick Lynch doubles down
Mick Lynch, RMT union boss has reiterated his intent to maintain the rail chaos that erupted in the UK this weekend.
According to the union boss, strikes will continue. “until we reach a settlement.”
As the country’s rail services grind halt, Britain is set to suffer massive delays tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s London outlook
Tomorrow will see the capital grind to a standstill as hundreds of railway workers take to the rails once more.
Here’s how the lines will change:
- London Underground: Do not use it. There are severe delays and no night tubes.
- London Overground: No overnight services.
- Elizabeth line: Disruption.
- Trams: Huge delays.
- DLR: Daytime services running to Bank.
- Buses: Severe disruption
Who will be affected?
Strikes are not only for workers but also holidaymakers, fans and those attending events.
Strikes will affect Premier League football fixtures, as well as a cricket match at Lords, which started today.
Services will be affected by strikes until the weekend
‘For many this is the first time they have ever taken industrial action’
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Our members in the rail industry are going into the third or fourth year of a pay freeze. While food and fuel costs are rising, the Tory cost of living crisis is making it harder for working people to pay their bills. Enough is enough – this cannot go on.
“For lots of our members, this is the first time they have ever taken industrial action – it is a last resort and not something any rail worker takes lightly.”
He added: “Railway workers put their lives at risk to keep the country running in the pandemic and were rightly hailed as heroes. However, now the Tories are preventing employers from making reasonable offers to these same rail workers by stalling negotiations.
“Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the Department for Transport need to make a reasonable offer on pay and job security – either by coming to the table themselves or allowing employers to negotiate freely. Stop the string-pulling and blocking of negotiations.
“This dispute is not going away. As inflation continues to rise and costs of living keep rising, real-terms wage cuts are being suffered by thousands of rail workers all across the country.
“We will not back down until our members have won the pay, conditions and job security they deserve.”
TSSA members strike
TSSA members are those who work in ticket offices, stations and control rooms as well as engineering.
The union wants guarantees that there will be no compulsory redundancies, a rise in pay proportional to the cost of living, as well as no unilateral changes to job terms and conditions.
What is the average wage of workers?
These are the median salaries of five categories of workers as calculated by the Office of National Statistics:
- Rail travel assistants – £33,310 – includes ticket collectors, guards and information staff
- Rail construction and maintenance operatives – £34,998 – they lay and repair tracks
- Rail transport operatives – £48,750 – includes signallers and drivers’ assistants
- Train and tram drivers – £59,189
- Workers who build and repair engines and carriages – £46,753
The ONS have calculated a median figure of £43,747 across these five categories.
Football travel will be halted due to strike action
Rail network c2c announced industrial action that will impact those traveling to West Ham’s game on Saturday.
After 18:21 there will not be any trains from West Ham.
Weekend disruption
RMT members from Network Rail and 14 train operator companies, TSSA members at seven other companies, Unite members at NR and Unite bus drivers will all strike again on Saturday.
Sunday morning train services will be affected by the knock-on effect of Saturday’s action.
The rail services will be severely reduced on Thursday and Saturday, with only a fifth of trains running and half the lines closing.
Both strike days will see trains not operating between 7.30am-6.30pm.
Before you fly, make sure to check
TFL advised commuters to verify before they travel, as strikes will disrupt your week.
Sunday, 21 August
Some services may be disrupted due to the strike on Sunday.
Avoid traveling on affected services prior to 08:00.
Lynch states that action will continue until a settlement is reached.
Sky News reported that he said his union would continue to take action. “until we reach a settlement”Network Rail and other operators
He said, “What you will get is a wave solidarity action, generalised strikes action, synchronised actions.”
“And it will be apparent in every sector, in education, health, larger parts of transport system, and in all sectors. It is also evident in the private sector.
“People are fed up with the way they’ve been treated. The British worker is basically underpaid and gets no dignity or respect in the workplace.”
Home broadband usage is expected to increase by a significant amount today
Due to the widespread rail strike, many workers will remain home and could face an increase in internet usage.
Tony Hughes from broadband provider 4th Utility said that his firm expects internet traffic growth of up to 15% today. “a really significant uplift”.
“We’ll see millions more people abandoning their commutes and working from studies, kitchens and spare bedrooms,”He stated.
14 Train operators strike today
The walkouts will cause chaos in London, disrupting train services, London Underground, and bus companies throughout the capital, up to Sunday.
Following ongoing talks that failed to resolve the deadlocked rows, Unite, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs Associations (TSSA), and Unite will all be part of the industrial action.
Today will be a strike by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators. TSSA members at seven other companies, TSSA members in seven companies, and Unite member at NR.
Saturday, August 20
Strikes on national rail services (nationwide) expected to cause severe disruption.
Buses:Services affected in London (West and South West London) and some parts of Surrey
- Impact on the following routes: 9, 18, 33, 49, 65, 70, 71, 72, 85, 94, 105, 110, 116, 117, 148, 203, 211, 216, 220, 223, 224, 235, 258, 265, 266, 272, 281, 283, 290, 293, 371, 404, 406, 411, 418, 419, 423, 440, 465, 467, 470, 481, C1, E1, E3, H17, H22, H32, H37, H91, H98, K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, N9, N18, N33, N65, N72, N266 and S3
- Night Buses are not available on these routes
London OvergroundService reduced between 08:00 & 18:00 No service after 18:00. No Night Overground
Elizabeth line
- Central (Paddington-Abbey Wood) – reduced service after 18:00
- East (Liverpool Street-Shenfield) – trains running every 30 minutes 07:00-17:30 only. Maryland, Forest Gate Manor Park and Goodmayes aren’t stops for trains.
- West (Paddington-Reading/Heathrow) – trains every 30 minutes 07:10-17:40 only. Heathrow trains only running to Terminal 4
District lineNo service between Wimbledon & Parson’s Green, Richmond & Turnham Green, before 08:00 and afterwards
Bakerloo line– Service is not available north of Queen’s Park
Storms cancel flights
British holidaymakers have to be concerned about baggage issues, strikes, and storms this summer.
Travel chaos caused by extreme weather on Wednesday contributed to delays and cancellations.
Thunder, lightning and torrential rain battered parts of the country after amber and yellow weather warnings had been issued by the Met Office.
Air traffic control measures were necessary to ensure safety at airports in the South of England and other parts of Europe.
Gatwick airport explained via Twitter on Wednesday evening that “Air traffic control restrictions are currently in place across the South of England and parts of Europe due to poor weather conditions.
“This will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations to some flights today.”