Royal Mail workers join rail staff in walkout over pay and conditions

More than 40,000 rail staff have walked out for the second day, causing widespread disruption as the Rail & Maritime Transport union’s 48-hour strike continues.

Network Rail has advised passengers to only attempt to travel by train if absolutely necessary and are being urged to check with operators for the latest information. Only one in five trains is set to run on Wednesday.

Services will resume as normal on Thursday but are likely to be delayed or less frequent.

The RMT will begin another 48-hour strike on Friday which will continue until the end of Saturday. The union is also planning further action over Christmas and in the New Year.

Hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute were dashed after Network Rail workers rejected a pay offer on Monday - which included a 5% and 4% pay rise over two years - with union bosses’ recommendation.

On Wednesday, Royal Mail workers have also begun a 48-hour walkout at their busiest time of year, when people and businesses are sending Christmas cards and presents.

The company will be relying on 11,000 managers and agency workers to fill in for more than 100,000 striking posties to try and keep things running, but said it will be "challenging".

Royal Mail have offered an enhanced pay deal of up to 9% over 18 months, offering to develop a new profit share scheme for employees, and making voluntary redundancy terms more generous. They have also guaranteed no compulsory redundancies until the end of March 2023 at the earliest. 

Royal Mail’s competitors DPD and Evri, formerly Hermes, have both blamed the strikes for disrupting their services as demand for alternatives increase.

Evri said on its website that “high parcel volumes, Royal Mail strikes and staff shortages” are responsible for delays to its services. DPD said it could no longer ensure next day delivery.

Nurses are set to walk out later in the week. They are due to be joined by other emergency workers, including ambulance staff, firefighters and doctors, the biggest walkout in NHS history.

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The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced strikes on 15 and 20 December in its pay dispute with the government.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: "Ministers have chosen strike action.

"Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve."

Conservative MP David Davis said this morning that the NHS strikes "will cost lives" and said that people will take a "very dim view" of the walkouts once they see the impact on the health service. 

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The former Brexit secretary told TalkTV: "I think also the public, although they are quite sympathetic to the strikers initially, are going to get quite cross with them. 

"It is plain as a pikestaff that the health service strikes are going to cost lives and really if you joined up for the health service you shouldn’t be doing things that cost lives and I think the public will take a very dim view of that.”