How long will the rail strike last and will there be more in June?

Train strikes will rock commuters this week as union members take on Network Rail in a row over job losses and wages. Thousands of people will be concerned and worried about more chaos

Rail strikes will cause difficulties for commuters this week as planned strikes are set to take place.

The strikes, called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), will see 50,000 workers from train drivers to signal operators at Network Rail in a dispute over wages, job cuts and pension payments.

The RMT said: “It needs to be reiterated that the source of these disputes is the Tory Government’s decision to allocate £4bn.

Labor Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused the Tory government of profiting from the division caused by the strikes dismissed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

There was hope that Network Rail and the unions would be able to settle the dispute and stave off industrial action, but this has not happened and is now unlikely.

So when are the strikes and will there be more?

How long will the rail strikes last?

The RMT rail strikes are currently scheduled for 21st, 23rd and 25th June and they will be complemented by a London Underground strike on 21st June.

A Special timetable for June 20th to 26th published and it means only 4,500 services are running over the same period, which is typically 20,000.

Trains only run between 7.30am and 6.30pm on these days and none travel north from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Strikes by Aslef workers will take place on Greater Anglia trains on June 23rd and July 2nd and further action requested by Croydon Tramlink is on July 13th and 14th.

The list of affected lines is as follows:

• Avanti West Coast
• C2C
• Chiltern Railway
• intercity trains
• Croydon tram connection
• Greater Anglia
• LNER
• East Midlands Railway
• Elizabeth line
• Great Western Railway
• Hull trains
• London Underground (June 21st only)
• Northern Trains
• southeast railway
• Südwestbahn
• TransPennine Express
• West Midlands trains

Will there be more rail strikes?

Whether there will be more rail strikes really depends on whether the unions can settle disputes with Network Rail over things like pay.

Unions may decide to step up action if this week’s strikes fail to get their demands through.

RMT boss Mick Lynch wanted the cost of living crisis, inflation and other factors could cause more workers in other vital sectors to leave as “people can’t take it anymore”.

Food prices are rising and inflation, already at 9%, is expected to rise to 11% later this year.

Energy bills are already biting and are likely to rise again in October, while petrol prices have risen to record highs, with some tankfuls costing over £100.

All of these things have a domino effect as workers watch their pay packets to keep them afloat.

The National Education Union has already indicated that it can elect its 40,000 members unless offered pay closer to rising inflation.

Shadow Leveling Up secretary Lisa Nandy said: “The issue is not whether workers are striking, it is that we have a government that is currently on strike and is not doing its job.

Shapps has called the rail strikes a “stunt”.