Families face cancelling festive plans, miss parties and cancel shopping trips due to rail strikes

Families are bracing for a third consecutive Christmas of chaos as ‘heartless’ union barons are accused of coordinating strikes to ruin the festive plans of millions of British families.

Hundreds of thousands of staff across the public sector, including rail workers, nurses, post office employees and road maintenance crews, are all set to plunge Britain into a 1970s-style period of havoc over the holiday period.

December will see tens of thousands of medical staff join picket lines, joining the 40,000 railway workers who are also set to walk out. 

HAVE YOU CANCELLED YOUR CHRISTMAS/NYE PLANS BECAUSE OF THE STRIKES? Email jacob.thorburn@mailonline.co.uk     

At the same time, the road network faces being paralysed after 12 days of strikes were announced by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union.

And more than 100,000 Royal Mail workers will strike across seven days during the month, one of the busiest periods for the postal service.

Paul Lawson (left) was looking forward to heading back to the UK for a busy festive break and spending as much time as possible with friends and family after travelling from the UAE

The RMT’s latest bid to cripple Christmas has now forced Mr Lawson, and thousands of other families, to change their festive plans at the 11th hour

More than 40,000 rail workers will walkout from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. It means those travelling to be with friends or loved ones on Christmas Day should travel before midday the day before if they are travelling across the country or risk not getting there. Normally trains would run until about 10pm

Firebrand Mick Lynch announced walkouts targeting passengers heading home for Christmas last night, acknowledging ‘the travelling public will be disappointed, irritated and angry’ but claimed his workers had ‘no choice’. 

More than 40,000 rail workers will join the extra industrial action dates from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. 

The militant RMT’s latest bid to cripple Britain’s railways has forced thousands of families to shelve holiday plans, parties and long-awaited days out at the 11th hour – despite this being the first ‘normal’ Christmas for millions since the Covid pandemic.

One elderly widower told MailOnline how a friend who was living abroad had offered to visit him to keep him company, but was forced to revoke that offer after the fresh wave of rail strikes were announced.

John Steed, 75, is a widower who had spent the last two Christmases on his own due to Covid problems. 

He told MailOnline how he was excited to finally spend the festive period with a friend, who lives abroad, who had planned to fly over to see him.

But, after the announcement of more RMT rail strikes over the Christmas period, Mr Steed will spend his third consecutive Christmas alone.

He told MailOnline: ‘With no trains during that period over the holiday, it clashes with flight plans and their ability to reach me.

‘Trade unionists are a heartless bunch. Thanks Mick Lynch.’

In a separate dispute, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union who maintain roads will walkout for 12 days over Christmas – potentially forcing others to choose not to travel altogether. 

The industrial action on Britain’s highways will coincide with planned RMT strikes, inflicting maximum pain on those hoping to see friends and family this December.

Others flying home for the holidays have also seen their travel plans ruined. 

Others have revealed how they will be forced to shelve holiday plans, parties and long-awaited days out – despite this being the first ‘normal’ Christmas for millions since the Covid pandemic

Paul Lawson was looking forward to heading back to the UK for a busy festive break and spending as much time as possible with friends and family.

He was set to celebrate his daughter completing basic training at the Britannia Royal Navy College on December 14, and just days later they were also due to witness their grandchild’s christening in Yorkshire. 

Having chosen to fly in from the United Arab Emirates, the Lawsons had spent hundreds of pounds on their return train journeys from Heathrow.

But the RMT’s latest bid to cripple Christmas has now forced Mr Lawson, and thousands of other families, to change their festive plans at the 11th hour.

‘Because of the strikes we’ve now had to desperately change flight times and organise road transfers at a cost greater than £700’, he told MailOnline.

‘What a sorry state of affairs. Makes you proud to be British – not!’

It comes as Britain’s struggling pubs, restaurants and hotels are set to lose a ‘catastrophic’ £1.5billion in sales during the Christmas strikes, which business bosses fear will cripple the hospitality industry. 

Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, accused to RMT of ‘playing fast and loose with people’s Christmas plans’ after the new strike dates were announced.

Two 48-hour walkouts next week, on December 13-14 and 16-17 are also due to go ahead, along with two more on January 3-4 and 6-7.

However, the union cancelled an overtime ban from December 18 to January 2 which could have caused hundreds of last-minute cancellations. Several operators rely on overtime working to run a full timetable.

Mr Lynch insisted he does not want strikes to go ahead before Christmas but argued his members were being forced into action by the Government not allowing train operators a proper mandate to negotiate on pay and conditions.

The crippling of the rail network has also disrupted Clive Hadfield’s plans, who would normally travel down from Norfolk with his wife to see their son over Christmas.

Despite driving in a low-emission vehicle, the couple were stung by the capital’s newly imposed ULEZ charge last year and had to fork out £160.

To avoid any extra charges, Mr Hadfield said they decided to book train tickets instead for this year.

‘But there’s no chance of doing that,’ he told MailOnline. ‘The bullying rail unions have made rail travel unreliable.’ 

Similar misery is in store for other families who have seen long-awaited plans shelved at the 11th hour. 

Nigel Goddard, who lives in Croydon, south London, won’t be able to see his son, who lives in Newcastle or his six-month-old granddaughter over the holiday period.

He slammed the RMT’s walkouts and said his Christmas plans, and had been ‘ruined’ as a result.

‘We have three possible days that we can meet up for Christmas lunch but there are strikes on all three of the days,’ he told the BBC. 

Despite sowing fresh chaos on Britain’s railways, Mr Lynch doubled down on his decision to unleash fresh strikes as he spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said: ‘My members are living on extremely low wages. Not everyone’s earning the same money, but what everyone’s experiencing is a lowering of their conditions. 

‘Now we regret the inconvenience that we are are causing, but this inconveniencing is being caused by the Government… they’ve held back even these paltry offers till the last minute.

‘We have to respond to what the companies are doing. If we do not respond, then those changes will go through without a response from us and our members will have to suffer the consequences of this, including job losses and changes to their working lives that are more unacceptable to them’.

But Government minister Nick Gibb argued the RMT’s ‘very disappointing decision’ came after they were offered a ‘very good pay deal’ of 8% over two years.

‘So I think the unions really should call off this strike. It’s inconveniencing people up and down the country in the run up to Christmas, I think it’s a very poor way of conducting negotiations,’ he told GB News.

‘We would urge the unions to talk to employers, to keep negotiating and not to hold the country to ransom, particularly in December as we get nearer to Christmas.’

Militant 1970s-style firebrand Mick Lynch announced the new action last night after pay talks broke down with rail bosses 

Commuters are pictured at a train station in London in December 2022

Leaders within Britain’s hospitality industry are begging unions to call-off their walkouts amid fears it will cause ‘devastating’ losses, with some pubs already calling last orders in recent weeks due to surging costs and low demand. 

Sacha Lord, chairman of the Night Time Industries Association, told MailOnline some businesses were already on the brink of collapse.

He said: ‘Businesses could face catastrophic losses if these strikes go ahead. Christmas is when you can get a third of your annual turnover. To lose this would be devastating.

‘Considering two years ago we didn’t have a Christmas because of lockdown and last year people were cancelling bookings left right and centre because of Covid, the last thing any of us need is for train strikes and the knock-on effect of more cancellations.’

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls added: ‘These further rail strikes will be hugely damaging for hospitality businesses, their workers and their customers as it seems almost guaranteed that we will be facing a heavily disrupted Christmas for the third year in a row.

‘Our estimate of the cost of these strikes already stood at £1.5 billion in lost sales and it’s incredibly frustrating that a solution has yet to be reached to avoid this disruption during the golden month of trade for our sector.

‘We’re continuing to urge all parties involved in the negotiations to reach a solution imminently to avoid these harmful strikes.’

The warning was echoed by the Alastair Kerr, South West Regional Representative for Campaign for Pubs, who said pubs were already closing their doors for good amid the ongoing strikes.

He told MailOnline today: ‘The rail strikes that are due to take place over the coming few weeks will, of course, affect every industry across the UK, especially pubs and the wider hospitality sector.

‘Especially, as pubs have been struggling to regain consumer confidence and also suffer from other crippling economic factors, such as soaring energy bills and the slow recovery from the pandemic.

‘We are already aware of pubs and other businesses in the hospitality sector having to close their doors for good before what should be the busiest time of the year for our industry. 

‘If these rail strikes lead to cancellation of valuable Christmas Parties and family gatherings at our beloved pubs, it will be an economic disaster and one that some of our pubs may not recover from at all.

‘A pub at Christmas should be the ideal place for families to meet and enjoy the festive period together. 

‘However, with the disruption that these strikes will cause, it is going to be a very uncertain Christmas for our pubs and hardworking publicans.’

Mr Lynch said a new pay rise offer of 9 per cent over this year, backdated to January, and next will be put to workers in a referendum. The offer also includes no compulsory redundancies until 2025.

But he warned the union will encourage members to reject it. The result will be announced on Monday.

It means that next week’s strikes will go ahead come what may, but the December 24-27 and January action will be called off if members accept it.

However, a separate 8 per cent pay offer from 14 train companies covering most of the country, which are also involved in the dispute, won’t be put to members. This also includes a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024.

It means there’s likely to be considerable disruption in the coming weeks even if the Network Rail offer is accepted.

The RMT picket line at Elephant and Castle station on November 10, 2022 in London

Mr Lynch added: ‘At the minute we haven’t got anything that’s acceptable to us and we feel we’ve been compelled to take this action because of the intransigence of the government. What we’ve been presented with is an extremely detrimental offer.

‘It’s very poor in relation to the pay elements and our members simply aren’t in a position to accept the changes that the companies have put on the table.’

The RMT claims the train operators’ offer would lead to job losses because it includes accepting the closure of some ticket offices and more guardless trains being rolled out across the network.

Ministers introduced ‘minimum service’ legislation to Parliament last month which will force union barons to ensure a certain number of trains run on strike days. But it won’t come into force until next year and does not apply to non-transport sectors. 

While there are no current plans to widen its scope, No 10 yesterday said the situation was being kept under review.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘We are keeping under review what is the right balance with regards to strikes. We won’t hesitate to bring forward changes if we judge they are required.’ 

Sir Keir Starmer rejected calls for tougher anti-strike laws to better protect the public from crippling walkouts.

Speaking in Leeds yesterday, the Labour leader was asked if the party would repeal the minimum services legislation.

He said: ‘I don’t think more legislation restricting the right to strike is the right way forward. I think the Government should fix the underlying problem. The Government should get off its hands, and it’s been sitting on its hands throughout these disputes.’

Rail workers, ambulance staff, firefighters, teachers, security guards, cleaners, porters and driving examiners are also planning action that will affect every day until Christmas. The unions are fighting for sharp pay rises for members to reflect inflation, which is running at 11 per cent.

But government officials say this is unaffordable, and would cost the taxpayer more than £28billion.

HAVE YOU CANCELLED YOUR CHRISTMAS/NYE PLANS BECAUSE OF THE STRIKES? Email jacob.thorburn@mailonline.co.uk   

Crisis talks on Christmas chaos: Rishi Sunak gathers Cabinet as rail unions heap MORE misery on Britons with extra strikes despite pay offer 

By James Tapsfield for MailOnline

Rishi Sunak is gathering his Cabinet today amid mounting fears a wave of strikes will wreck Christmas.

The PM and his senior team are taking stock of the crisis in Downing Street, after the government refused to rule out tightening laws on industrial action.

Furious ministers have accused rail union barons of ‘holding the country to ransom’ by targeting passengers travelling home for the festive season with new strikes from December 24-27.

The boss of the militant RMT union, Mick Lynch, announced the escalation last night after pay talks broke down with rail operators. He acknowledged that ‘the travelling public will be really disappointed, irritated and angry’, but claimed the union had ‘no choice’.

More than 40,000 rail workers will walkout from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. It means those travelling to be with friends or loved ones on Christmas Day should travel before midday the day before if they are travelling across the country or risk not getting there. Normally trains would run until about 10pm.

Rishi Sunak is gathering his Cabinet today amid mounting fears a wave of strikes will wreck Christmas

The boss of the militant RMT union, Mick Lynch, announced an escalation in strikes last night after pay talks broke down with rail operators

NHS, education, and postal staff, as well as driving instructors, are also planning to strike over the festive season. Tories are alarmed about a repeat of the ‘winter of discontent’ that effectively destroyed the Callaghan government in the 1970s. 

Schools minister Nick Gibb today urged the RMT not to ‘hold the country to ransom’, telling GB News: ‘It’s a very disappointing decision by the RMT, they were offered a very good pay deal by the employers, eight per cent over two years, which is in line with the kind of pay deals that are taking place outside the public sector.

‘So, I think the unions really should call off this strike. It’s inconveniencing people up and down the country in the run-up to Christmas, I think it’s a very poor way of conducting negotiations.

‘We would urge the unions to talk to employers, to keep negotiating and not to hold the country to ransom, particularly in December as we get nearer to Christmas.’

Two 48-hour walkouts next week, on December 13-14 and 16-17 will also go ahead, along with two more on January 3-4 and 6-7.

However, the union cancelled an overtime ban from December 18 to January 2 which could have caused hundreds of last-minute cancellations. Several operators rely on overtime working to run a full timetable.

Mr Lynch said a new pay rise offer of 9 per cent over this year, backdated to January, and next will be put to workers in a referendum. The offer also includes no compulsory redundancies until 2025.

But Mr Lynch said the union will encourage members to reject it. The result will be announced on Monday.

It means that next week’s strikes will go ahead come what may, but the December 24-27 and January action will be called off if members accept it.

However, a separate 8 per cent pay offer from 14 train companies covering most of the country, which are also involved in the dispute, won’t be put to members. This also includes a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies until April 2024.

It means there’s likely to be considerable disruption in the coming weeks even if the Network Rail offer is accepted.

Mr Lynch added: ‘At the minute we haven’t got anything that’s acceptable to us and we feel we’ve been compelled to take this action because of the intransigence of the government. What we’ve been presented with is an extremely detrimental offer.

‘It’s very poor in relation to the pay elements and our members simply aren’t in a position to accept the changes that the companies have put on the table.’

RMT supporters protest outside offices of Network Rail on July 27, 2022

The RMT claims the train operators’ offer would lead to job losses because it includes accepting the closure of some ticket offices and more guardless trains being rolled out across the network.

Mr Lynch denied that putting the Network Rail offer to members and calling off the overtime ban signalled that he was ‘under pressure’.

But industry insiders said he was facing a growing backlash from workers angered by the overtime ban as it’s a lucrative option for them at this time of year.

Many are also said to be angry at having lost thousands of pounds already due to national strikes the union has been calling for since June. Internal industry estimates suggest some workers stand to lose more than £4,000.

Former Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke tweeted: ‘This is dreadful by the RMT – ruining people’s Christmases with an 8% pay rise over two years on the table (and no compulsory redundancies).

‘The railway received £16billion – £600/household – in emergency funding during Covid and drivers’ median salary is £59k, staff’s is £44k.’