Rail strikes: Travel disruptions continue after talks to stop third walkout fail

A third day of rail strikes is set to take place on Saturday after talks to settle a dispute failed to reach an agreement.

People have been warned to only make essential journeys at the weekend, with only one in five services taking place on Saturdays.

Only 60% of trains were running on Friday after the RMT union’s strike action on Thursday caused delays.

Union bosses have warned that more strikes are likely if an agreement on jobs cannot be reached.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps called on the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union to call off Saturday’s strike, urging them “to stop paralyzing the country”.

Talks with rail bosses continued on Friday, but no agreement has yet been reached.

Further talks are expected to take place on Monday, with the BBC being told these could potentially start on Sunday as well.

Members of RMT at Network Rail and 13 rail operators went on strike Tuesday and Thursday amid the dispute, in which they are demanding a pay rise of about 7% and assurances there will be no redundancies for their members.

The RMT continues to believe that the main stumbling block in the negotiations is the lack of a written commitment that no one will be forced out of their job.

Many rail companies suspended service early on the Friday before the third day of action, and passengers are being urged to travel by rail only when necessary and to plan ahead.

Half of the lines will not be operational on Saturday as a result of industrial action by around 40,000 RMT members.

Disrupted services include the Heathrow Express route, which takes travelers to London’s busiest airport – which has also been threatened with industrial action by British Airways workers over the summer.

Train travel across the UK will be primarily restricted to mainline routes and these restricted services will only operate between 07:30 and 18:30. Some of the biggest seaside resorts including Bournemouth, Blackpool and Llandudno will have no services at all.

Passengers with pre-booked tickets for Saturday can travel on Friday, Sunday or Monday instead or request a refund.

The disruption will last Saturday through Sunday due to the fallout from the strike.

Some of Friday’s train delays were caused by trains not being able to leave night depots until around 0600 BST as staff who would have worked night shifts were not working.

Services in Scotland and Wales have also been disrupted, although their rail networks have been partially decentralized as they rely on trains from England and Network Rail staff. Northern Ireland trains are unaffected.

It is estimated that the strikes have cost the rail industry up to £150m in lost revenue and caused some planned modernization work to be cancelled.

“Only travel when necessary”

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said the striking members were “leading the way in standing up for all working people trying to secure a pay rise and some job security”.

He urged ministers to “get in the room or get out of the way” to help resolve the dispute, noting that the RMT had “successfully closed dozens of deals” with railway companies.

Speaking on Thursday’s BBC Question Time, Mr Lynch also reiterated his claim that the government was to blame for the shutdown, telling the audience that the railway companies had told him “face to face they could get a no-redundancy guarantee” – but they were “not allowed”.

The government has said it is the responsibility of unions and railway companies to resolve the dispute and has denied being involved or delaying negotiations.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said this week’s action had “hurt the very people they claim to stand up for” and small businesses like pubs were being impacted on their busiest day of the week.

But he also claimed that the two-day strikes so far this week have also shown that “widespread rail strikes are not as effective a tool for unions as they used to be” as many more people are now able to work from home.

Network Rail – with whom the RMT is negotiating alongside rail operators – also said it was the union, not the government, that had blocked negotiations.

Chief Executive Andrew Haines said the “unnecessary and premature” strike action would mean people would “suffer again” over the weekend.

Steve Montgomery, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said the union needed to work with rail operators to modernize “outdated labor practices” so the industry could adapt to changing travel patterns.

He said: “While we are doing our best to minimize passenger disruption, we advise only traveling if necessary and if you are travelling, please plan ahead.”