Train strikes – live: Christmas Eve travel disruption as drivers told ‘avoid roads until 7pm’
UK rail workers are slated to strike again tomorrow, on Christmas Eve
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Britons have been warned of train disruption ahead of a strike tomorrow as millions embark on Christmas getaway journeys, with motorists told to avoid the roads until 7pm.
The RAC, which expects 7.9 million leisure journeys to be made across the UK on Friday and Christmas Eve combined, published the alert for a stretch of the M25.
The 23rd of December is typically the busiest day for rail travellers ahead of the Christmas holiday, with 27 December the busiest for post-Christmas travel.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are set to stage another round of industrial action tomorrow in an ongoing row over pay and conditions,
Earlier, a separate union warned that strikes by Border Force staff could last for up to six months as they staged the first of several days of action.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, urged ministers to “get around the negotiating table” and make a better pay offer.
“Our strike mandate lasts right up until May,” he told the BBC earlier this morning. “We will be supporting this action up to May and we would re-ballot again if we have to.”
Midday update: Fears of travel chaos at airprots unfounded
Fears that passengers at six British airports could be waiting for hours for passport control have proved unfounded on the first day of the strike by UK Border Force staff, Simon Calder, our travel correspondent, reports.
At Heathrow, the UK’s busiest hub, nearly 30,000 passengers have passed through the border during the morning. Queuing times were reported by one official as “virtually at zero”.
Passengers arriving at Gatwick are also reporting a smooth process through the border. Ash Tilbury reported: “No queue at LGW at all. Landed at 11:15 and we’re just waiting for luggage which I watched being unloaded as soon as the plane stopped.”
A spokesperson for Birmingham airport told The Independent: “This morning we had UK Border Force staff and RAF personnel jointly running our customs and immigration process.
“It ran smoothly with maximum wait times of 18 minutes for passengers arriving from, for instance, Bridgetown, Barbados, during our morning travel peak.”
Sneha Mistri, a passenger arriving at the West Midlands airport, said: “Just landed at Birmingham from Madrid. Through the automatic gates in passport control in less than five minutes.”
At Manchester, Paul Simon tweeted: “Landed on EK17 Dubai-Manchester at 11:35. Royal Navy checked passports luggage collected and on the M56 by 12:10.”
Elizabeth Line workers to strike in new year
Workers on London’s Elizabeth Line are to strike early next year in a dispute over pay and pensions, it has been announced.
Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and Prospect will walk out on January 12.
Officials said the action by staff at Rail for London (Infrastructure) Limited will cause “significant disruption “ to the new cross-London line in the first strike since it opened earlier this year.
Full story:
Elizabeth Line workers to strike in new year
Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association and Prospect will walk out on January 12.
Gatwick trains disrupted by multiple cancellations
Further updates now from our travel correspondent Simon Calder, who is keeping an eye out for disruption today amid the strikes:
Passengers arriving at Gatwick airport are reporting smooth progress through the UK Border – but then encountering problems with onward transport by train to London, Brighton, Cambridge, Peterborough and Bedford.
All these destinations are served by Thameslink, but by 1pm the train operator had cancelled 55 services on the line through Gatwick.
The aim said: “A shortage of available train crew means that Thameslink services will be disrupted throughout today, Friday 23 December.”
On Christmas Eve, the last trains to and from Gatwick airport are at around 2pm ahead of the next Network Rail strike by members of the RMT union.
‘Where have you been?'
A reporter asked prime minister Rishi Sunak “where have you been?” amid strike action by a number of public sector organisations.
Mr Sunak said he was “really sad” and “disappointed” to see that walkouts by Border Force, Royal Mail and other workers had gone ahead.
Unions organising the industrial action have accused the government of failing to engage in talks on pay and conditions.
The PM and other ministers say they are sticking to the recommendations made by the independent pay review body which sets public sector workers’ pay.
Ministers ultimately decide whether or not to accept the recommendations.
Royal Mail: Will post and packages be delayed by the postal strikes?
Royal Mail workers are also striking today in a row over pay and conditions.
The postal service has warned “services will be affected” by the walkouts.
“Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but we cannot fully replace the daily efforts of our frontline workforce,” it said in a statement.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad has more details below:
Will post and packages be delayed by the postal strikes?
Services will be affected, delivery giant warns
Gatwick passport control the smoothest part of a disrupted trip
At Gatwick airport, student Charlotte Coats has been relating her nightmare journey from New York City – attempting to reach a family gathering in Skye, Simon Calder, our travel correspondent, reports.
Ms Coats, who is studying at Columbia University, was booked from New York via Boston to Gatwick on Wednesday night.
“Unfortunately I didn’t get on the Boston flight [to Gatwick] so I had to spend 24 hours in Boston.”
She said that staff at Boston Logan airport then “bumped” her from the Gatwick flight.
“I had a fit at the check in, they put me back on the flight. I’ve got to London and had to book a flight to Inverness because my father’s already had to drive to Scotland.
“I’m going to Inverness, and then I’ve got to get over to the west coast, up near Skye.”
The easyJet flight to Inverness this afternoon cost an extra £200. But Ms Coats said that the border experience at Gatwick was the one smooth part of her trip.
“It was fantastic, the Navy were there, I cannot complain.”
Breaking: Nurses to strike again on 18 & 19 Jan if no progress made on pay
Nurses in England will strike again on 18 and 19 January in an escalation of their pay dispute with the UK government.
The Royal College of Nursing said they would walk out unless negotiations on pay are opened.
The government has said it is sticking to the recommendations of the independent pay review body which sets public sector wokers’ pay.
My colleague Holly Bancroft reports:
Nurses announce back-to-back strikes next month
GMB union calls off ambulance strike next week but confirmed new walk out on 11 January
Sunak: Check your journey before travelling
Rishi Sunak has warned people to check before they travel as strikes are predicted to cause unprecedented chaos in the run-up to Christmas, Kate Devlin, our Whitehall editor, reports.
The prime minister said: "I would urge everybody who is travelling at the moment to just please check before you make your journey - so you know what it happening."
But he defended his government’s stance to hold firm on pay even as unions said strikes could last until May.
Not negotiating on wages is "in the long term… the right thing for the whole country".
Visiting a homeless shelter in London, he said: "What I’m trying to do is make the right long-term decisions for the country, for everybody’s benefit.
"We all know the major economic challenge we all face now is inflation, it’s inflation eating into everyone’s pay packets…
"I want to make sure we reduce inflation, part of that is being responsible when it comes to setting public sector pay. That’s why we have an independent process.
"I know things are difficult but it’s right there’s an independent body that makes recommendations to the government and the government accepted those.
“It increased its offer, matched all those recommendations, I think that’s the reasonable thing to do. And in the long term it’s the right thing for the whole country that we beat inflation."
Strike action set to derail Christmas Eve train services
Train passengers are being urged to only travel on Christmas Eve if their journey is “absolutely necessary” as a strike will decimate services.
A walkout by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail means Britain’s railways will shut down early, and some routes will have no trains all day.
There is usually high demand for services on the afternoon and early evening of Christmas Eve as people travel to spend the festive period with loved ones.
Full story:
Strike action set to decimate Christmas Eve train services
Britain’s railways will shut down early on Saturday, and some routes will have no trains all day.
Little disruption so far at Heathrow
There has been little disruption this morning despite strike action by Border Force staff, Heathrow Airport has said.
A spokesperson said the morning arrivals peak had started well.
“Immigration halls are free flowing at Heathrow with Border Force and the military contingency providing a good service,” the spokesperson added.
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