Related: Mick Lynch says government ‘doing nothing’ about £2bn cuts to rail system
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts
Get Simon Calder’s travel email
The new general secretary of the TUC has called for an urgent meeting with the prime minister as industrial action sweeps the nation.
Around half of Britain’s rail lines are closed and only a fifth of services are running as tens of thousands of Network Rail workers and train operators walk out on the second day of strike action with bus drivers who they join
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Paul Nowak called for a change in government leadership and said public services were in crisis after years of “underfunding and understaffing”.
“We cannot solve these problems without fair treatment for the people on the front lines,” he wrote.
Transport for London has revealed that there will be bus strikes on Abellio bus services today and tomorrow.
Buses will still be available on the affected routes in south and west London, but not in their usual numbers.
In the meantime, industrial action by staff at the UK’s National Roads and Rural Payments Agency will continue.
key points
Show latest update 1672812621
Second day of New Year’s rail strike as Scots return to work
ScotRail services will be severely disrupted today as rail workers walk out on a second day of strike action this week.
Workers at Network Rail in Scotland walked out yesterday as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
Signal workers, guards, customer service and station workers are among those who downed tools on Tuesday and will do so again on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday this week.
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 6:10 am
1672811421
Border Force strikes could be extended to the port of Dover within weeks
Border Force strikes could be extended to Dover and other ports within weeks, under plans mooted by a union to intensify walkouts in an ongoing dispute over pay, pensions and job security.
In those strikes, more than 1,000 Home Office staff walked off their passport control duties at six airports, including Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick, prompting ministers to call in the army to try to plug the gaps resulting
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 5:50 am
1672810221
Every rail strike date confirmed for January 2023
ASLEF, which represents 96 per cent of train drivers in England, Scotland and Wales, announced that workers at 15 companies, including Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway and Great Western Railway, had voted in favor of the strike.
Read more in this report from my colleague Joe Sommerlad:
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 5:30 am
1672809069
Strikes and industrial action to watch today
- DVSA driving examiner strike begins in London, South East, South Wales and South West
- The workers of the service of traffic agents of the national roads will continue with the march
- RMT rail workers’ strike continues
- The strike on national roads across the UK continues
- The RPA staff will continue their march
- Abellio London bus workers go on strike
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 5:11 am
1672807086
What the TUC secretary said in a letter to the PM
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Paul Nowak called for a change in government leadership and said public services were in crisis after years of “underfunding and understaffing”.
“We cannot solve these problems without fair treatment for the people on the front lines.
“Each month experienced employees are resigning, with one in three public servants now taking steps to leave their profession or actively considering it.
“This is simply unsustainable.
“But we cannot solve the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not address the underlying causes.
“This means talking openly and constructively about improving public sector wages. But your ministers have so far refused to negotiate directly on wages with the unions.”
Commuters on their way to work cross London Bridge in central London on January 3, 2023
(AFP via Getty Images)
Nowak said unions worked closely with Sunak during the pandemic to deliver the leave scheme and protect millions of jobs, adding:
“That’s the kind of mature approach we need now.
“The unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the Government and talk about increasing wages. But as long as your ministers continue to refuse to talk about improving wages, there can be no resolution.
“In the NHS, for example, there are already adequate structures in place to enable immediate start of pay negotiations between health unions, employers and ministers. This is exactly what happened in 2018, which resulted in the pay agreement of three years
“We want to find a solution to the current conflicts so that our public service staff can continue to do the work they love. And so our public services can begin to improve for everyone who depends on them.”
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 4:38 am
1672805372
The new head of the TUC calls for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister
The new general secretary of the TUC has called for an urgent meeting with the prime minister to try to break the stalemate of labor disputes sweeping the country.
Paul Nowak called for a change in government leadership, saying ministers should open wage negotiations with unions.
It comes as rail workers continue a 48-hour strike, with more stoppages planned this month across the transport industry, the NHS and the civil service.
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Nowak said public services were in crisis after years of “underfunding and understaffing”.
Read the details in this report:
Namita Singh January 4, 2023 4:09 am
1672803000
I marched for the miners in the 1980s – we have to do what is right
When I marched in the miners’ strike of the 1980s, the accepted wisdom was to bring down corrupt, abusive or unjust systems and fight for what was right.
It wasn’t until last year seeing Musk, Johnson, Trump, King Charles, Truss, Clarkson (who is not out of the woods, no matter how much The Sun gives him) etc. it occurred to me that if you are patient enough and prepared to witness massive collateral damage and waste of resources and needless pain, worsening socio-economic inequality and degradation of the living conditions of the most vulnerable: “they” implode. ..
Eleanor Sly January 4, 2023 3:30 am
1672800480
What does Britain really think about strikes?
Rishi Sunak has been warned that his “high risk” strategy on public sector pay rises could backfire as an exclusive poll by The Independent showed strong public support for further strikes in 2023.
Almost two in three voters would support NHS nurses taking more strike action next year if their pay demands are not met, the Savanta poll found, with just 24% opposites
Also, more voters expressed support for further industrial action by rail staff, bus drivers, postal workers and teachers than those who said they opposed further strikes.
What does Britain really think about strikes?
As unions and the government continue their standoff, voters continue to back workers who have chosen to walk, polls show, and back more strikes in the new year, reports Adam Forrest.
Eleanor Sly January 4, 2023 02:48 am
1672796880
With strikes looking set to continue, 2023 could be a good year for unions
After decades when, unfortunately, it was usually safe to ignore the statements of union leaders, the most widespread outbreak of industrial action since 1979 has made them household names again.
Not yet as well known as, say, Mick Lynch, is the new general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, who formally replaces Frances (now Baroness) O’Grady on 1 January. He’s making a bit of a noisy entrance though.
He told The Independent that strikes could continue into 2023 if the government refuses to negotiate pay rises. If we take ministers at their word, which they won’t until at least the new recommendations from the public pay bodies come in in April, then the country is in for a prolonged period of conflict.
Eleanor Sly January 4, 2023 1:48 am
1672793280
I’m a nurse, that’s why I voted for the strike
Ever since I was little, I dreamed of being a nurse working for the NHS. Twelve years ago, after a lot of hard work and determination, I achieved this goal. There were many sacrifices on the part of my family, who supported me throughout my course.
I currently work as an assistant nurse in an NHS hospital in Lincolnshire.
My role is to be part of an acute cardiology team that has face-to-face contact with patients who come to hospital after a heart attack and after a cardiac arrest.
Eleanor Sly January 4, 2023 12:48 AM