UK rail strike: Travel crisis on Boxing day as train strikes continue to hamper life. Check updates

Highway workers, nurses, and bus drivers have all downed tools this month in protest over pay and working conditions. As the rail strikes continue, thousands of people will be unable to travel on Boxing Day.

Hundreds of departures are usually available on the 26th of December, following the Christmas Day closure. However, Network Rail reports that Britain's railways were closed for the second day in a row due to a strike by the Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT) members.

The strike is part of a long-running dispute over pay, jobs, and conditions between the RMT, train operators, and Network Rail.) The December rail strikes were expected to be called off after the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) met with RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers).


The union's president, Mick Lynch, announced on December 4, that he had rejected RDG's offer of a 4 per cent pay increase for 2022 and 2023. He said it was unfortunate that the union had been compelled to take this action due to the continuing intransigence of the employers. As a result, RMT members have walked out on Network Rail services from 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and it will continue till 6 am on December 27.


Tim Shoveller, Network Rail's chief negotiator, claimed the new walk-outs expose RMT's true priority, using the British public and Network Rail workers as pawns in a fight with the government.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 Border Force employees from the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) are on strike for eight days during the holiday season. Six airports are affected across the country. During further walkouts between December 23 and New Year's Eve, army personnel and government employees will be called to check passports at arrivals halls. Travellers have been warned to expect delays due to a 1,000-person strike at passport booths, which could result in long lines, people being held on planes, and delayed departures.

FAQs:

1. What are ghost trains in the UK?
   Ghost trains also known as parliamentary trains date back to the 1960s and are services that run over a line or stop at a station so that they often go unnoticed.
2. How long will the rail strike last?
   The planned strikes for the start of the year are scheduled to end on January 7, 2023.