Rail strikes will force families to hold a ‘virtual Christmas’

STRIKES will force families to hold a “virtual Christmas”, the Transport Secretary says today.

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Mark Harper says that disruption to trains means people across the country may be left with “no choice” but to change their plans and miss seeing loved ones. The chaos that families face over the festive season has echoes of the pandemic when two years of celebrations had to be scaled back or cancelled because of Covid restrictions.

The rail network will be disrupted on and off for more than a month as regional strikes that started on Dec 2 will this week give way to national industrial action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT). “This year, many families may have no choice but to alter their plans and have a virtual Christmas again,” Mr Harper says. “This isn’t due to a new public health pandemic, but because of rail strikes, planned by the RMT union to cause misery during the festive period.”

His comments mark the first time a government minister has explicitly suggested that the strikes will have a similar impact to Covid this winter. Despite being offered a pay deal, Mr Harper says the RMT is pressing ahead with the strikes because its bosses are “ideologically” committed to industrial action.

The RMT is planning four days of walkouts this week, followed by another series of strikes during Christmas week itself, from Dec 24-27.

Further walkouts are scheduled for the New Year, with Jan 3, 4, 6 and 7 earmarked for industrial action. The rail network has been hit with four days of regional strikes, with Unite members working for East Midlands Railways walking out on Dec 2 and 3, followed by RMT Avanti West Coast strikes yesterday and today.

The country also faces weeks of strikes by various unions including

nurses and ambulance drivers as well as Border Force officials and postal staff.

It comes as The Daily Telegraph reveals that less than a tenth of the striking ambulance and 999 workers will be replaced by the Armed Forces.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is expected to deploy 600 military personnel to drive ambulances with a further 150 providing support and logistics when over 10,000 NHS staff walk out on Dec 21 and 28.

Today the Government will announce that military personnel will be sent into hospitals across the country to receive training and familiarise themselves with ambulances ahead of the strikes.

In a significant escalation of its response to the strikes, the Government will hold its first series of fullscale Cobra meetings this week, with the first due to be held today and a second on Wednesday.

The meetings, which will be led by Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will be attended by senior ministers from the Department for Transport, DHSC, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Meanwhile, the British Medical Association said yesterday that junior doctors are very likely to strike over demands for a pay rise of more than a quarter and James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, rejected an offer by the Royal College of Nursing to pause its strike if ministers agree to talks on pay.

Private deliveries are already being hit by delays after Royal Mail strikes led to an unprecedented spike in demand for their services.

Last night rail industry sources urged the RMT to allow members to have a say over their pay deal, after Mick Lynch, the union’s general secretary, rejected the Rail Delivery Group’s offer of an 8 per cent rise over two years outright.

“It’s already too late to do anything about this week’s strikes but there is still time to avoid beginning a new year with four days of strikes,” a senior source said.

“The RMT leadership needs to do the right thing and put the offer on the table to their membership.

“There is little solidarity in forcing them to kick off 2023 out of pocket or condemning passengers and business to more damaging disruption.”

A separate pay offer of 9 per cent from Network Rail has been put by the RMT to its members – but with advice to reject it. The referendum closes at noon today with the result expected to be announced later in the day.

Rail bosses are understood to be downbeat about the chances of the union’s members voting in favour of the deal, given Mr Lynch’s “cynical” instruction for them to dismiss it.

The RMT was asked for comment.

‘The RMT leadership needs to do the right thing and put the offer on the table to their membership’