Rail strikes: John McDonnell shares support for a general strike

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The RMT and other rail unions such as the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and ASLEF have proven vital in negotiating for their paid-up workers over the last couple of months. Effective strike threats have seen staffers come out on top in negotiations, giving them higher pay and better conditions. But their success ultimately means that non-striking commuters have fewer travel options, and many of them will need to pay for more of the same over the coming month.

Are there rail strikes this week?

Trains have just started following complete schedules again after the last disruptions on Wednesday and Saturday, with most overground and underground lines functioning as usual.

But union negotiations with many rail firms remain unresolved, several overseen by the RMT.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said his union would decide whether to undertake further strike action this week.

Workers have threatened to hold another Tube strike if Transport for London (TfL) does not respond to demands by August 2.

The union has given the network a Tuesday deadline to assure negotiators it would not reduce jobs or make “detrimental” changes to pensions and working conditions.

Without these assurances, the RMT will go ahead with a planned Tube strike on August 19.

Mr Lynch said the demands came after workers did not receive details of a draft Government proposal outlining how TfL planned to fund London’s transport system.

He said: “Our members will once again take to picket lines in this important dispute over pensions, jobs and conditions.

“They have been messed around by TfL and Mayor Sadiq Khan.

“And to add insult to injury they have not seen the detail of this funding letter from Government.

“Unless there can be assurances made about jobs, pensions and detrimental changes to working conditions, then our strike on August 19 will go ahead.”

Other than awaiting TfL’s response, unions do not have strikes planned for the week ahead.

The same goes for the following week, between July 8 and 12, but the situation changes from that weekend.

A series of strikes by Aslef and RMT will rock the country between August 13 and 20 on the following dates:

Saturday, August 13 (Aslef)

Thursday, August 18 (RMT)

Friday, August 19 (RMT)

Saturday, August 20 (RMT)

Which train operators will the strikes impact?

Together, the Aslef and RMT will impact more than 20 lines over one week in August.

The RMT strikes on August 18, 19 and 20 will impact:

• Network Rail
• Chiltern Railways
• Cross Country Trains
• Greater Anglia
• LNER
• East Midlands Railway
• C2c
• Great Western Railway
• Northern Trains
• South Eastern
• South Western Railway Transpennine Express
• Avanti West Coast
• West Midlands Trains
• GTR (including Gatwick Express)

The Aslef strikes on August 13 will impact:

• Avanti West Coast
• Arriva Rail London
• Cross Country
• Great Western
• LNER
• Greater Anglia
• Southeastern
• Hull Trains
• West Midlands Trains

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