LONDON (Dispatches) – Workers on Saturday took part in the biggest rail strike in Britain for decades, with unions combining industrial action for the first time this year.
No trains were running in many areas, with no direct services at all on some intercity routes between London to Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
With drivers as well as signalers on strike, only about 11% of normal schedules were in operation. Disruption was significantly worse than during other rail strikes this year, as members of the RMT, Aslef and TSSA unions went on a 24-hour strike – timed to coincide with the start of the Conservative conference in Birmingham.
Strikes planned for last month were called off because of the mourning period after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Avanti West Coast did not run any trains, and there were no services between England and Wales.
Network Rail advised passengers who still wished to travel on Saturday to only do so if absolutely necessary, to expect disruption, and to check National Rail Enquiries or train operator websites for updates, especially for times of the last train to depart. Services will also be disrupted on Sunday morning, with a later start, as staff return to work.
Further strikes are also planned for Wednesday October 5 by drivers in Aslef, and Saturday October 8 by the RMT union.
Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, said more strikes were likely to follow. While union leaders held talks with train operators in recent days, as well as having meetings with the new transport secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, last month, Whelan said they were no nearer a resolution.
Drivers’ demands to lift a pay freeze had only increased, he said: “The government are making it more and more difficult. They are telling firms we can’t have a pay rise, and lifting the cap on bankers bonuses to four times their salary.
“Food and energy prices are going through the roof, mortgage rates and rent – while we’ve seen the top 350 FTSE firms increase their profits by 73%. Inflation isn’t being driven by workers’ pay, it’s profiteering.”
Daniel Mann, the director of industry operations at the Rail Delivery Group, said the strikes were “unnecessary and damaging”. He added: “They disrupt passengers’ plans, undermine struggling businesses, hit major events and harm the industry’s recovery.”
Speaking outside Euston station on Saturday, the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, apologized to the public facing transport difficulties because of the strikes, including participants of the London Marathon.