Rail operators have announced their latest travel strike for the month as the ongoing dispute between trade unions and train operators continues, affecting thousands of people who work on trains and the Tube every day.
RMT Strike action is planned for July 20, July 22 and July 29, with the world’s oldest golf tournament – The Open Championship – taking place from July 16 to 23 at Royal Liverpool, Merseyside.
Train trade union ASLEF announced an overtime ban earlier this month, meaning members are refusing to work overtime for 12 days in July.
Although the overtime ban is not as disruptive as the strike, its members are refusing to work overtime on these days, where they would normally cover gaps in the cancellations on their days off, affecting 16 rail operators including LNER, Avanti West Coast and Great. Western Railway.
Angry rail workers on picket lines demand pay rises and improved working conditions – leading to chaos on train tracks, hundreds absent from this summer’s upcoming Ashes and The Open Championships
The first overtime ban has already taken place between July 3 and July 8, with the second ban expected to affect services between July 17 and July 22.
These dates overlap with some of the RMT members’ strike dates – the union has announced that around 20,000 workers will strike over three separate days later this month, frustrated that train operators are not cooperating with their pay requests.
Tube strike date
23 July – Services close by 19:00 July 24 – Good service expected through late morning 25 July – Little or no tube service 26 July – No tube service expected, night tube 27 July – Little or no tube service 28 July – No Tube services expected, including Night Tube 29 July – Tube services start later than usual – Good service by midday.
Information on specific tube line closures can be found on the TfL website.
Sloane Square tube station is served by the District and Circle lines between South Kensington and Victoria stations and is in Travelcard Zone 1.
Date of train strike
The RMT union has announced three days of strike action to affect a number of train operating companies on Thursday 20 July, Saturday 22 July and Saturday 29 July.
There are no strikes planned on buses, the DLR, London Overground, Knight Overground, the Elizabeth Line or trams.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘This latest round of action will show the country how important rail workers are to running the rail industry.
An angry Mick Lynch speaks to a group of RMT allied supporters – convincing railway workers they deserve better pay and working conditions, despite disruption that will hurt millions of commuters and sports fans every day.
‘My team of negotiators and I are available 24/7 to negotiate with the train operating companies and the government.
‘Yet incredibly neither side has made any attempt to organize a meeting or make any decent proposals that could help us reach a negotiated solution.’
The following railway operators could see thousands of their staff take part in the strike: Chilton Railway, Gatwick Express, Greater Anglia (including Stansted Express), Great Western Railway, Great Northern, Southern, South Western Railway (including Island Line), Thameslink, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, Crosscountry, East Midlands Railway, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, Southeastern and West Midlands Railway.
However, the following companies will not see strike action: c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Grand Central, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, Lumo, Merseyrail, ScotRail, and Transport for Wales.
While trade unions are aware of the widespread disruption caused by the rail strike, which coincides with school holidays and major sporting events, the RMT maintains that this is their last resort after trying to negotiate with the government.
Cricket fans could be among the thousands of commuters stranded by the upcoming strike – the much-anticipated England v Australia Ashes Test match will be held at Old Trafford from July 19 to 23 and again at The Oval from July 27 to 31. .
travel advice
There are no strikes planned on buses, the DLR, London Overground, Knight Overground, the Elizabeth Line or trams.
Using the above modes of public transport will help reduce early travel disruptions for strike-affected journeys.
TfL asked travelers to ‘allow extra time to complete your journey’.
Tube strike
23 July – Services close by 19:00 July 24 – Good service expected through late morning 25 July – Little or no tube service 26 July – No tube service expected, night tube 27 July – Little or no tube service 28 July – No Tube services expected, including Night Tube 29 July – Tube services start later than usual – Good service by midday.
Source: TfL
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