More travel woes with deadlocked talks sparking fresh train strikes as summer getaway begins |  UK news

Schools broke up for the summer on Friday, causing an influx to the mainland at Dover, with more than 20,500 passengers processed at the port by mid-afternoon, while hundreds of thousands of people are expected to fly out of Heathrow and Gatwick.


Barriers close off part of Waterloo train station in London, during a strike by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), in a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions. Picture date: Friday June 2, 2023.

Millions of Britons could face travel disruption today as rail strikes continue on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The ongoing impasse between rail unions and the government over pay and conditions will see parts of the UK without train services, with RMT holds departures.

There is also further disruption from the machinists union ASLEF, which has banned its members from working overtime.

The dispute has also deepened in recent weeks over proposals around the closing of all ticket offices in United Kingdom.

Staff will be moved from offices to halls and platforms, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) says, but unions fear more than 2,000 jobs will be cut.

The latest strike comes at the start of the summer school holidays, with travel firm ABTA warning that more than two million holidaymakers are expected to flee abroad over its weekend.

On Friday, when schools let out, more than 20,000 passed through the port of Dover, with officials warning it could take up to two-and-a-half hours to get through border checks at peak times.

Earlier in the year, vehicles were delayed at the port until 2 p.m. as a limit the guards were struggling to keep up with the volume of traffic crossing over to the mainland.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to leave Heathrow and Gatwick in the coming days, with around 200,000 traveling from Manchester and another 71,000 from Bristol, ABTA said.

The Met Office has also warned of travel disruption as heavy rain begins today, with a risk of thunderstorms on Sunday.

Predicts the first two weeks of the holidays will be a washoutbut suggests there are signs that the weather may begin to stabilize in the second week of August.

Lorries and cars queue at the Port of Dover, Kent, as the busy summer travel period gets underway.  Picture date: Friday July 21, 2023. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Traffic in Dover on 23st July

Rail strike action has cost around £620m since June 2022, according to the RDG.

It said in a statement: “This has stalled its post-pandemic recovery and threatened its long-term sustainability, pushing the industry into spiraling decline and risking consequences such as service cuts to make up for shortages.” Revenue levels are still 30% below pre-pandemic levels.

“The strikes have affected the wider economy – particularly sectors still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, which employ hundreds of thousands of people.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said his union was still waiting for an invitation to return to the negotiating table.

“We’ve been on strike for over a year, this campaign is probably two years,” he said.

“We don’t want people to be disturbed”

Mr Lynch added: “The issues are the same. They attack our jobs. They are making layoffs. They close services.

“We haven’t raised wages for four years and the people who are staying want to reduce our conditions and sign new employment contracts.

“There is no agreement in sight at the moment, but we remain available to negotiate with the companies and with the government, but it is up to them to invite us back to the table so that we can work out some solutions to the dispute.”

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “The Government has met with rail unions, listened to them and facilitated the improvement of pay and reform proposals. Union leaders must make these fair and reasonable proposals to their members so that this dispute can be resolved.”