Rail passengers endeavouring to travel across Britain in the run-up to Christmas face misery after a trade union announced strike action on four consecutive Saturdays.
Workers on rail operator CrossCountry are to stage a string of walkouts next month in a dispute over pay, affecting shoppers and families trying to visit relatives.
Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members will walk out on December 6, 13, 20 and 27 amid claims long-running problems on pay and staffing were unresolved.
The last Saturday before Christmas is traditionally an especially busy time to travel by train, given that thousands of people are heading to relatives for the festive season.
Trains on the first Saturday after Christmas are also frequently packed as passengers take trips they cannot make during the shutdown on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Engineering works on the West Coast Main Line on December 27 mean some passengers would have been hoping to use CrossCountry trains as an option.
CrossCountry has not yet established how the walkout will affect services, but most will likely be cancelled, and they will only operate a restricted timetable at best.
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT – Britain’s largest rail workers’ union – said today: ‘CrossCountry has not dealt with the core issues in this dispute and has come back with a proposal that is worse than what was already on the table.
‘Our members are still facing unresolved staffing shortages, unfair pay outcomes and broken commitments. RMT members have been left with no choice but to take strike action.
‘The company must return with a serious offer that meets the commitments it has already made and treats our members with the fairness and respect they deserve.’
But CrossCountry managing director Shiona Rolfe said: ‘We are disappointed for our customers that the RMT has announced further industrial action.
‘We’ve worked hard to make a fair and reasonable offer that addresses the key points raised in this dispute, and we’ve made meaningful progress in negotiations.
‘Our priority remains reaching an agreement that avoids disruption for passengers in the busy Christmas period, and we are ready to continue talks at any time.’
CrossCountry is used by approximately 100,000 passengers a day and operates trains on a 775-mile route from Aberdeen to Penzance, although the direct service between the two stops at either end of Britain was axed in May after 104 years.
These walkouts need to be banned because these greedy freeloaders get more than a teacher with over 10 years of experience. If they believe that driving a train doesn’t pay enough, try teaching a class of 30 hormonal teenagers.
Every year, a section of the public sector goes on strike; this is just blackmail, and it usually works to suppress their greed for a short while. It’s just mere greed, demanding money for less.
It’s not like these people are poorly paid.
Train strikes at Christmas – well, everything is normal then! And if they can afford to lose 4 days’ pay at Christmas, then I would say they are being paid extremely well indeed.
Then there were the Labour MPs bragging about how they had settled the strikes and doctors’ disputes so quickly, patting themselves on the back. They evidently forgot to take greed into account.
Rail walkouts for Christmas is now as traditional as a Turkey roast on the big day, and the wager I made with the bookies is going to pay out well. I’ll be one satisfied customer by the New Year.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 