According to UK law, employers do not have to pay employees who take part in industrial action.
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Generally, if your train is cancelled or rescheduled, you are entitled to a full refund from the firm you were due to travel with for any ticket type, including advance tickets (see how to claim your money back). This includes where the train is cancelled due to strike action.
Generally, if your train is cancelled or rescheduled, you are entitled to a full refund from the firm you were due to travel with for any ticket type, including advance tickets (see how to claim your money back). This includes where the train is cancelled due to strike action.
The schedules are of particular concern with rail workers citing a lack of sick leave, inability to routinely visit the doctor or tend to family emergencies, and weekslong stretches of being on call.
In 2021, the median gross annual pay of train and tram drivers was £59,031 (€68,673) in the UK, up from £42,484 (€48,951) in 2011. This is a 39 per cent increase in nominal terms, meaning inflation is not taken into account.
It wouldn't take long for the effects of a rail strike to trickle through the economy. Many businesses only have a few days' worth of raw materials and space for finished goods. Makers of food, fuel, cars and chemicals would all feel the squeeze, as would their customers.
A strike would cause $2 billion a day in lost economic output, according to the Association of American Railroads, which lobbies on behalf of rail companies. Rail transports about 40% of the nation's long-distance freight and one-third of exports.
Train drivers work 35 hours per week, spread over 4 to 5 shifts (also known as turns). These may include weekends, evenings, nights and Bank Holidays. Freight engine drivers tend to work more night shifts and do long-distance routes, which often entails overnight stays away from home.
What are the railroad unions asking for? The railroad unions are asking freight and railway companies for a pay increase, as well as better working conditions, including paid time off and a more flexible schedule.
When are there train strikes in August and September? 20,000 workers represented by the RMT, which is the biggest rail workers union, are set to stage strikes on the following dates: Saturday 26 August. Saturday 2 September.
Unless a deal on pay, job security and working conditions is reached between unions and rail operators, it's likely that strikes could continue for the rest of 2023.