January 2023 dates for TfL Tube strikes and train walkouts

Rail workers are striking for much of this week, plunging the country’s travel network into chaos. 

But the men and women from Mick Lynch’s RMT union are not the only public sector employees who are downing tools this month. 

Traffic officers from National Highways are also striking, whilst paramedics and nurses will go on strike for a second time after last month’s action. 

Below, we take a look at the walkouts this month, why they are happening and how they could affect you.   

Rail workers – What services are affected?

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), led by general secretary Mick Lynch, are staging two 48-hour walkouts this week, starting today. 

The second will hit on Friday. Whilst RMT members will return to work on Thursday, there will be further chaos as drivers in the Aslef union down tools.

As a result, sround half of Britain’s railway lines are closed and only a fifth of services are running, with the disruption set to continue until next week. 

The RMT and other unions are in dispute with the Government and rail companies about pay, job cuts and changes to terms and conditions.  

Trains that do run this week will start later and finish much earlier than usual, with services typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the day of the strike. 

A staggering 16 million passenger journeys will be hit by the week of chaos, with an estimated 62,000 trains cancelled during RMT strike days and a further 18,000 during the Aslef drivers’ walkout.

There have been warnings that the disruption could cost bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels up to £20million in lost revenue 

The drivers’ strike on Thursday will affect 15 operators and will result in even fewer services running, with some companies operating ‘very significantly reduced’ timetables.

Passengers who have tickets between today and Saturday can use them the day before the ticket date or up to and including January 10. 

On January 12, there will be further rail strikes, among workers on London’s Elizabeth Line.  

What have the unions been offered? 

Network Rail has made an offer of a 5 per cent pay rise this year and 4 per cent pay rise in 2023. 

But RMT boss Mick Lynch has described the deal as ‘substandard’ and members have rejected it. 

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said today that the RMT should ‘off the picket line and round the negotiating table.’  

Mr Harper told Times Radio: ‘There is a very fair pay offer on the table which has been accepted by two of the trade unions on Network Rail.

‘The RMT recommended that their members didn’t accept it, but actually a third of their members still voted in favour of it.

‘I think it is time that the RMT got off the picket line and round the negotiating table to try and hammer out a deal with the train operating companies and Network Rail.’

Mick Lynch on a very thin picket line at Euston Station this morning as the strikes hit the country today and for the rest of the week

Road maintenance and DVSA – action coinciding with rail strikes 

PCS members on England’s highways are downing tools again this week, after they went on strike last month.

The National Highways employees, who plan, design, build, operate and maintain the country’s roads, are continuing a series of staggered strikes that began on December 16. 

The walkout by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) is part of industrial action in a bitter dispute over pay, pensions and jobs. 

More than 100 road traffic officers and control room operators are striking today and tomorrow, as well as on Friday and Saturday. 

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘We know our members’ action could inconvenience travellers who plan to visit their relatives over the festive period, but our members have been placed in this situation by a government that won’t listen to its own workforce.’ 

PCS members on England’s highways are downing tools again this week, after they went on strike last month. Above: Boxing Day traffic on the M25 

Will the strikes affect my journey? 

National Highways said it has ‘well-rehearsed resilience plans’ to ensure that the 4,500-mile strategic road network remains open and safe and is confident the industrial action will have minimal overall impact.

But it expects roads to be busy on both days and drivers are being asked to plan ahead, particularly with national rail strikes being staged at the same time.

It is advising people to check for road conditions and any congestion before embarking on a journey.

However, fewer staff numbers in control rooms could pose a problem if there are accidents on the roads. 

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘Previous strikes elsewhere in England have caused disruption for people travelling over the Christmas period, and this strike is likely to do the same.

‘While we regret people’s travel plans will be affected, we make it very clear this strike could be called off today if the Prime Minister or Chancellor put money on the table.’

PCS members who work at the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are also striking today in the east of England, east Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London. 

The DVSA strike will then continue in London, south-east England, south-west England and Wales on Friday, lasting until Tuesday, January 10. 

Nurses and ambulance workers

Nurses and ambulance workers, who went on strike at the end of last year, are set to down tools again this month in disputes over pay. 

Some ambulance workers will stage strikes on January 11 and then again on January 23. They previously took action on December 21. 

The new strikes are set to affect only non-life threatening calls.

Nurses, represented by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), will begin their second round of action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on January 18. 

The action will continue on January 19. 

Members of the RCN on the picket line outside Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle last month

What have staff been offered?  

Ambulance workers’ unions want an above-inflation pay rise. The governments in England and Wales have given NHS staff an average rise of 4.75 per cent. 

The RCN has insisted on an 19 per cent pay rise and says the Government has not opened talks. 

But the Government says this year’s average pay award is in line with the recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body that were made in July. 

The strikes will add to pressure that the struggling NHS is facing.  

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS organisations, said today that the ‘last thing’ the health service needs is more strikes.

He said the current situation in the health service is ‘very difficult’ as it grapples with too few staff and high demand exacerbated by flu and Covid. 

Mr Taylor told BBC Breakfast: ‘There’s no doubt the situation is very difficult – that’s why many trusts have declared critical incidents.

‘We are not able to provide the level of service we want to provide…

‘The simple reality here is that the health service is caught between the fact that it has limited capacity, particularly when it comes to workforce – 130,000 vacancies – and a level of demand that it is difficult to meet in ordinary times.

This graph shows the Royal College of Nursing’s demands for a 5 per cent above inflation pay rise for the bands covered by its membership which includes healthcare assistants and nurses. Estimates based on NHS Employers data

‘When you add in flu and Covid, which doesn’t just affect patients but also means many staff are off ill, that’s when you get to this very difficult situation we’re in.’

Asked if cases of flu and Covid have peaked, he said: ‘I think it’s very difficult to be clear. I don’t think the statistics would give us reason to feel that we have peaked – January is normally the hardest month for the health service.

‘So I think the one thing that we can say is that it’s going to carry on being tough, and that’s why it’s important to be clear about the situation and it’s important to have clear messages to the public.

‘But also… it’s really important that, as ministers return to their desks, that they consider ways of reopening negotiations with the trade unions because four days of strikes on top of the situation we’re in now is the last thing we need.’

What do the strikes mean for patients? 

Nurses

Life-preserving treatment has to be provided and all nurses in intensive care and emergency care are expected to work. 

Anyone who is seriously ill or injured should still call 999 or 111 for non-urgent issues.

However, other services such as some cancer treatments may only be partially staffed and routine care – such as knee and hip replacements – are likely to be hit hard.

If there are safety concerns, nurses could be pulled off picket lines to work.

Ambulances

Category 1 calls – the most life-threatening, such as cardiac arrest – will be attended to. 

Category 2 calls – for conditions that are serious but not immediately life-threatening – might not be attended immediately. 

Category 3 calls – such as woman who are in late-stage labour – will not be prioritised. 

Beyond these categories, people who have a fall or who suffer other non life-threatening injuries are unlikely to receive 999 care at all. 

Some NHS trusts have instead urged people to make their own way to hospital.

Ambulance workers take part in a strike, amid a dispute with the Government over pay, outside NHS London Ambulance Service

Rural Payments Agency  

Today, staff at the Rural Payments Agency – which is responsible for paying out subsidies to farmers – began another staggered walkout after striking last month.

The workers at the RPA’s customer service centre will continue action this week until Friday and then will down tools again from January 9 to 13. 

The action, led by the PCS union, is part of a dispute over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms. 

The PCS union are unhappy with the 2-3 per cent pay rise that is on offer and are asking for a 10 per cent pay increase, along with better job security and no changes to redundancy terms. 

The action is set to affect farmers and others who receive payments and advice from the RPA. 

Scottish teachers

Teachers at Scottish primary, secondary and special schools are set to go on strike this month. 

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) will first walk out on January 10, at primary and special schools. 

Another strike will be staged the following day, this time at secondary schools and secondary special schools.   

From January 16, EIS will then stage a national strike for 16 consecutive days until February 2. It will see members in two local authorities walk out each day. 

The EIS are demanding a 10 per cent increase for all teachers, but the Scottish government insists that the rise is not affordable. 

The industrial action will lead to the closure of hundreds of schools across Scotland.